The Depot Cafe & Bookstore, Mill Valley, Calif., is looking to sublet part of its space to Copperfield's Books to help operate the bookshop. The Marin Independent Journal reported that the city council voted unanimously on November 4 to amend its lease with Depot Enterprises, the tenant that operates the business. The change allows the company to sublease a portion of the space to Copperfield's, which operates nine stores in northern California.
"I've spent a great deal of time in Copperfield's up in Calistoga, on Lincoln Avenue, and I can tell you it's just a fantastic place," council member Caroline Joachim said. "A fantastic place for me to lose a couple hours in, have my kids there, we've spent a lot of time, and I think what Copperfield's offers is actually a really great match to what we have here in Mill Valley."
The depot opened in 1889 as a train station, and in the 1970s became Ganey's Café and Bookstore. It was renamed the Depot Café and Bookstore in the 1980s when new tenants took over the lease. The Marin Independent Journal wrote that Depot Enterprises "has struggled to manage the bookstore section of the depot, saying it does not have the resources of a large, specialized bookstore operator. The new agreement adds two five-year extensions to the lease, and allows the tenant to sublease the 500-square-foot bookstore to Copperfield's for at least three years, with an option to extend an additional three years."
Vice Mayor Stephen Burke said he once took a "long hard look" at running the bookstore, and concluded that it would be difficult in a small space as a solo operator. He added that Copperfield's Books seems like a great fit.
"I really commend the partners on their good-faith effort to operate that bookstore," Burke said. "I'm really pleased it's being maintained as a bookstore. As vibrant as the cafe is and as much as you could do with it, if you put additional tables in there, I think retaining that in the heart of our community is really important."