In Los Angeles, Artbook @ Hauser Wirth & Schimmel and Hennessey + Ingalls Art & Architecture Bookstore "sit just a few blocks from each other along a stretch of Third Street in the Arts District, and both cater to book lovers with an interest in the visual arts," DTLA reported, adding: "The arrivals spark a couple questions: Given the economic climate, why did two book shops with a seemingly overlapping base open so close to each other just three weeks apart? Also, are there enough customers to go around?"
Both stores expressed confidence, pointing "to the booming Arts District, which is seeing a surge not just in residents, but also culture.... The two bookstores are only a few blocks from each other. Although not identical, they both specialize in the world of art and design," DTLA wrote.
"We looked in Mid-City, Westwood, Culver City. We never really thought about Downtown, since we've always been a Westside company," said Hennessy + Ingalls owner Brett Hennessey. "We took a tour of Downtown about a year ago, after all of the announcements, like Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, and started thinking about it. We've had a strong relationship with SCI-Arc for decades. So that was a draw, the community and the property."
Artbook store manager Peter Fankhauser regularly sends customers to Hennessey + Ingalls if a shopper might have better luck finding a specific book there, and Hennessey said he reciprocates, noting that part of that cross-promotion comes from both stores being new to the area and trying to keep clientele happy.
"It's nice having other bookstores in the area," Fankhauser said. "I think it's all in the interest of building up a more critical discourse about arts in the Arts District. That doesn't exist unless you have places where you can find publications."
