Printers Inc. Bookstore (1978–2001) was an independent bookstore in

Palo Alto Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was es ...

and Mountain View,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, that closed in 2001. ''Printers Inc'' is referenced in sonnets 8.13-8.16 of

Vikram Seth Vikram Seth (born 20 June 1952) is an Indian novelist and poet. He has written several novels and poetry books. He has won several awards such as Padma Shri, Sahitya Academy Award, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, WH Smith Literary Award and Crosswor ...

's 1986 novel, '' The Golden Gate.''Seth, Vikram. ''The Golden Gate,'' (New York, Vintage, 1991): 179-180

History

In 1978, five ''

Kepler's Books Kepler's Books and Magazines is an independent bookstore in Menlo Park, California. It was founded on May 14, 1955 by Roy Kepler. He previously had worked as a staff member of radio station KPFA, listener-supported and based in Berkeley. The boo ...

'' alumni (including Jeffrey Shurtleff and Anne Leathers) founded ''Printers Inc. Bookstore.'' The original Palo Alto store at 310 California Avenue occupied a former thrift store location. A second store was located at 301 Castro Street in

Mountain View, California Mountain View is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. Named for its views of the Santa Cruz Mountains, it has a population of 82,376. Mountain View was integral to the early history and growth of Silicon Valley, and is the ...

. ''Printers Inc. Bookstore'' was also a popular destination for Stanford University students. ''The Printers Inc. Cafe'' originally shared space in the California Avenue branch in Palo Alto and subsequently moved next door. American author Frances Mayes describes this history in her 2006 memoir, ''A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveller'': In the early 1990s, chain bookstores such as ''

Borders A border is a geographical boundary. Border, borders, The Border or The Borders may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Border'' (1997 film), an Indian Hindi-language war film * ''Border'' (2018 Swedish film), ...

'' and '' Barnes & Noble'' began to compete with independent bookstores such as ''Printers Inc.'' The rise of

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential econo ...

also affected ''Printers Inc.'' and other independent bookstores. Thus, in December 1998, ''Printers Inc.'' announced that it would be closing. The local community protested the closing, however, as the owners began to search for a new partner. In March 1999 ''Printers Inc.'' was resurrected under new management. This management lasted until 2001 when ''Printers Inc. Bookstore'' closed for good. ''The Printers Inc. Cafe'', however, did not close as it is under different management.

Documentary

The 2006 documentary '' Indies Under Fire'' tells the story of ''Printers Inc.'' and other independent bookstores affected by the

new economy The New Economy refers to the ongoing development of the American economic system. It evolved from the notions of the classical economy via the transition from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based economy, and has been driven by ...

. Director Jacob Bricca stated that he made the documentary after ''Printers Inc''. closed: "I took the tore's closingvery personally ... I grew up in Palo Alto and spent many hours reading and hanging out at ''Printers Inc''. I saw the strong connection the community had to the bookstore and, like others in the film, was very distressed at its closing."

Photographs

Photograph of Printers Inc. Bookstore in Palo AltoPhotographs of Printers Inc. Bookstore
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Historical Association
Photographs inside Printers Inc. Bookstore

References

External links

Local artist paints history in mural
- ''

The Stanford Daily ''The Stanford Daily'' is the student-run, independent daily newspaper serving Stanford University. ''The Daily'' is distributed throughout campus and the surrounding community of Palo Alto, California, United States. It has published since the ...

'', October 2, 1979.
DIVERSIONS: Browsing through . . .
- ''

'', August 13, 1982.
For Book Lovers Only
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'', September 22, 1983.
Tomes and Texts To Buy or Browse
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'', September 23, 1985.
Local Bookstores
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'', January 1, 1986. {{coord, 37.4274, -122.1444, type:landmark_region:US-CA, display=title Independent bookstores of the United States Defunct retail companies of the United States Bookstores in the San Francisco Bay Area Buildings and structures in Palo Alto, California History of the San Francisco Bay Area Companies based in Palo Alto, California Defunct companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area Retail companies established in 1978 Retail companies disestablished in 2001 1978 establishments in California 2001 disestablishments in California Bookstores in California

History

Documentary

Photographs

See also

References

External links