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Cody’s Books has called it quits for real this time, shutting down its remaining store on Shattuck Avenue. Citing lagging sales, Cody’s closed its doors on Friday, June 20. A while back, the flagship store on Telegraph Avenue was closed down; more recently, the store on Fourth Street jumped to Shattuck after a large rent increase. The branches in San Francisco have also been closed.
The Chron had more information on the details of the closing:
Andy Ross, who owned the store from 1977 until mid-2006, when he sold it to (Hiroshi) Kagawa, said about last week’s closing, “it’s no mystery - what’s happened to Cody’s is what has happened to independent stores for many years. People are going somewhere else (for books.) A lot of people like the allure of the Internet or chain stores. And a lot of people don’t read.”
Ross said that “when Cody’s was doing quite well, independent stores had 40 to 50 percent of the market. Now they’re down to about 3 percent of the market. In the late 1980s and into 1990, on a good Saturday Cody’s on Telegraph Avenue would do $30,000 in business. More recently, a typical Saturday would bring $10,000 worth. The business declined by two-thirds. Costs were up, and sales were down.”
This has been a long time coming since the sale between Andy Ross and Hiroshi Kagawa (of the Japanese firm IBC Publishing), a change of hands that seemed to say something was wrong. Cody’s situation was like slowly ripping off a bandage, and it was quite painful to watch happen to one best bookstores in Berkeley.
We’re sad to see Cody’s go and hope the other independent bookstores in the area are doing well. Take this time to show your support for local businesses … you’d be amazed at the finds, especially all those cheap used books.
Image Source: peterbarker under Creative Commons
Cody’s, landmark Berkeley bookstore, closes [SF Chron]
Earlier: Cody’s Books Opens, Closes, Rinses, Repeats
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Jun 23, 2008 at 10:12 am
In spite of the achingly sad closing of Cody’s, independent bookstores in the Bay area are doing well overall. Andy Ross’s comments contain one misstatement; the independent market share is about 10% nationally, and in San Francisco, a recent economic study concluded that the independent market share was above 50%. That same study underscored the cultural, social, and economic value of locally owned businesses, compared to chains and online sellers.