A brand new chapter within the lifetime of Oakland's beloved Bookmark Bookstore, which has been in business for 3 many years, has begun. On June 15, the used bookstore – all proceeds of which go to support Oakland's public libraries – opened its recent location in the town center in a historic room that is larger, brighter and, well, just has more bookshelves.
“The old building was deep and narrow and had a few windows at the front,” says Sven Geddes, co-manager of Bookmark. “Here we are on the corner and get a lot of sunlight. It is very bright and open with high ceilings. The building has been renovated – it is really beautiful.”
The old Bookmark was positioned at 721 Washington Street and the brand new one is three blocks up the road at 933 Broadway in a historic constructing called the Delger Block, built around 1880.
Geddes says the move just made sense. “The foot traffic is much better here – we're a block from BART and on Broadway. Plus, hopefully we'll get a (donation) door on the 10th Street side so we don't have to run warehouses in the store anymore.”
Visitors to the brand new Bookmark will notice some changes. There's a big, wood children's bookcase that a board member has lovingly restored. And the shop has plans to expand its collection of about 17,000 physical items to incorporate mysterious types of literary “ephemera,” Geddes says.
Before the move, the shop had an enormous sale, but the gathering remains to be incredibly large, with some treasures that were kept in a back room and storage area now on display.
“We have a lot of inexpensive, high-quality books,” says Geddes. “Most paperbacks are $1 or $3 for $2. Children's books are $2 to $5, paperbacks are $4 to $6, and hardcovers are $5 to $8.”
The Bookmark is currently within the soft opening phase and is planning the grand opening for the tip of July.
Details: Open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to five p.m., 933 Broadway, Oakland; fopl.org/the-bookmark.
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