In March, the Cody's Books on Fourth Street in Berkeley, Calif., is moving to new quarters in downtown Berkeley, the former Eddie Bauer store at 2201 Shattuck Avenue. The new location is near U.C. Berkeley, the Berkeley BART stop, the future David Brower Center, the Berkeley Public Library and City Hall.
The new store will hold grand opening celebrations on April 1. "We believe downtown Berkeley is the right place for Cody's, and the corner we've chosen is the best place to continue this bookstore's rich history," Cody's owner and president Hiroshi Kagawa said in a statement.
The new store is smaller than the current Cody's; the store plans, it said in a public letter, to "focus on our strengths--and the kinds of books you love the most--while carefully selecting and curating for some other sections." The strong sections include literature, criticism, history, politics, philosophy and science and technology. The store will also feature a new "Green World, Green Living" section. Sidelines will continue to include cards, postcards, maps, gifts, newspapers and magazines.
"We've known for a while that we needed to rethink our mix," manager Melissa Mytinger told the San Jose Mercury News. "The days of the large, general bookstore that offers both depth and breadth is not a functional model anymore."
The last three years have tumultuous for Cody's. The company opened and closed a large, expensive store in San Francisco, closed its flagship store on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley and was bought by Yohan, a Japanese publishing, distribution and bookselling company, which the sold the store to Kagawa when he left Yohan. In addition, longtime owner Andy Ross retired from Cody's late last year.
Throughout the turmoil, however, the 10-year-old Fourth Street store has had solid sales. The impetus for the move comes in large part from escalating rents in West Berkeley.
General manager Mindy Galoob, who is coordinating the move, commented: "The scope of our move is ambitious. But we're all energized and enthusiastic about this new direction for Cody's."
In Cody's and Berkeley style, Cody's is hosting "an open community meeting" next Wednesday evening at the store, at which customers are encouraged to make suggestions and comments about what changes they would like to see Cody's make.