The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles, Calif., which announced plans last summer for a new location, at 4437 Lankershim Blvd. in the Studio City neighborhood, will open the store December 12 for customers enrolled in a membership program, and then host a grand-opening celebration December 14, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"I've started to have trouble sleeping the last few nights," said Josh Spencer, creator of the original Last Bookstore in downtown L.A. He added that the new location came about by pure chance when his wife, Jenna, saw that the current tenant, Designers View, was subleasing part of its space. Spencer struck a deal for 10,000 square feet and agreed to sell some Designers View items on consignment. "Everything is for sale here except the shelves," he noted.
"We always want something different," he said. "We don't like to repeat ourselves. This will be a wabi-sabi, minimal vibe. We'll have nature sounds on the speakers more than rock music, and maybe some water fountains."
Noting that he has found himself increasingly stuck in the company's two warehouses out of town, he said, "I created the downtown store, set it in motion, but I just haven't been able to be there to supervise and add my two cents, so it feels less under my control. To me that now belongs more to the people and the staff there. It has a life of its own, and that's a unique honor. It's amazing."
Spencer also envisions a move into publishing in the future, but he is excited to get back on the store floor: "Selling books is not a way to get rich. You have to really love it. You work hard, but it's worth it because people love books. It also offers endless creativity, if you want. Selling books by itself can be boring for me, but I like creating a space, an experience."