Books Inc. to Open Number 11 in a Clean Well-Lighted Place

San Francisco's Books Inc. will be opening a new store in the location currently occupied by A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books at Opera Plaza. Michael Tucker, president/CEO and co-owner of Books Inc., which has 10 locations, told BTW that he signed a lease on Tuesday morning, June 27, and hopes to open the store by mid-September.

Neal Sofman, founder and co-owner of A Clean-Well Lighted Place for Books, announced last week that he and his partners were closing the bookstore as soon as inventory was sold off, as reported by the San Francisco Business Times. Sofman opened a new bookstore, Bookshop West Portal, also in San Francisco, on May 30.

Tucker, an ABA board member, noted that -- after being contacted by A Clean Well-Lighted Place's landlord -- he decided to open the new store because, in a city where occupancy costs are often prohibitive, "the landlord was offering a decent lease," and, at about 5,500 square feet, "it's larger than [Books Inc.'s] other stores in the city." Tucker noted that his other three San Francisco stores average between 2,700 to 3,500 square feet, and the new location provides a place to hold larger author events.

In early May, when Sofman announced that his long-term partners wanted to leave the book business and the store was up for sale, he told the San Francisco Chronicle that, although A Clean Well-Lighted Place is near city hall, the symphony hall, and opera house, walk-in traffic was insufficient for strong sales. He also explained that the area's pricey parking meters, at a quarter for six minutes, are a deterrent to customers.

However, Tucker described the downtown location as a "good neighborhood," and though he acknowledged that the parking meters present a problem, he added that the parking issue is more of a "citywide" issue. He is hoping that, like other cities with similar dilemmas, San Francisco will offer parking cards so that people won't have to contend with making sure they have enough change.

The new Books Inc. location will be a "good place to hold author events, something we've expanded in the last year," said Tucker. Since his other city stores could only accommodate 150 people, he was enthusiastic about the idea of holding larger events downtown. "And with city and state offices [nearby], we could hold mid-day events," he said.

Tucker also noted that Books Inc. is now handling book sales, previously handled by A Clean Well-Lighted Place, for City Arts & Lectures, which holds a series of events at San Francisco's Herbst Theatre. "It is a very prestigious author series" that is also heard on NPR, he said.

Meanwhile, at the new 2,300-square-foot Bookshop West Portal, located on West Portal Avenue in San Francisco, Sofman is planning a grand opening in July ... [and] so far it's been great," he told BTW. "The community is happy we're there and have welcomed us to the neighborhood." --David Grogan