Bay Books, Coronado, Calif., has lost the lease at its location, where it has been for 27 years, and is seeking help in finding a new site, the store announced on its website and in a letter to the Coronado Times.
The store's difficulties began last year, when the building housing Bay Books was bought by Kleege Enterprise for $22 million. The company plans to remodel the building and replace some current tenants with new tenants. This past summer, it offered a new lease to Bay Books, with a nearly three-fold rent increase. The store made a counteroffer to keep its current rent but cut its space in half. Recently Kleege Enterprise notified Bay Books that its space has been leased to another store but said it would help find a different location.
"We decided to write this letter to ask the Coronado Community to help us locate a new space!" the Bay Books staff wrote in part. "Angelica Muller and the owner of Bay Books have tried for the past year to convince the present landowners to help us stay without success and they are just as eager to find a place for our store.
"As residents of Coronado, we feel that having a bookstore is part of who we are! Coronado has distinguished itself as a unique town, where culture and arts are an integral part of the City. We cannot imagine a Coronado without its Bookstore!
"While we remain uncertain about our future, we ask residents to please come and visit us, be supportive of our store and if possible bring the issue to the city, maybe if we all work together we can find a new home."