Book Passage to Hold Community Meeting to Protect Local Independents

In response to Barnes & Noble's plans to move from its present location in Greenbrae, California, to a much larger space a block from Book Passage in Corte Madera, the bookstore is holding an onsite community meeting on Sunday, April 30. The gathering will serve as a forum to discuss municipal policies that would require a review of any proposed big box retailer to determine its potential effects on the community. Speakers will include Book Passage co-owner Bill Petrocelli, ABA COO Oren Teicher, community leaders, and representatives from the "The Corte Madera Citizens Concerned About Independent Bookstores (CCSIB)," a grassroots movement launched in support of Book Passage.

"The focus of the meeting will be to figure out if there is anything the County or the City of Marin will do to protect independent businesses or create an environment where independent businesses can survive," said Petrocelli. "We want to talk about Barnes & Noble moving into the area, but the discussion will not be confined exclusively to that. We want to talk about how to protect independent businesses from the unfair competition of big box stores."

ABA's Teicher will be one of the featured speakers at the meeting, which is expected to have between 100 to 200 attendees. "I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to participate in Book Passage's program in Corte Madera to discuss the importance of supporting locally owned businesses," said Teicher. "In a growing number of communities throughout the nation, residents and small business owners are launching efforts to stem the tide of big box expansion through retail size-cap ordinances to keep their towns diverse. Corte Madera is yet another example of this movement."

Barnes & Noble will be taking over a spot that was vacated by Marshalls, a department store that had been a Town Center tenant for the past 20 years, plus another space in the Town Center. When Marshalls' lease was not renewed this past fall, questions arose over which business or businesses would take over the spot.

Co-owner Elaine Petrocelli said that she had looked at the location and even had discussions with the Town Center management about the possibility of Book Passage moving to the shopping center. However, she said negotiations proved difficult and did not pan out.

Bill Petrocelli told BTW that up until recently, the identity of the shopping center's owner was secret. "It took a lot of work to figure out who it was," he said. "[The shopping center] is actually owned by the Florida state employees pension fund. Their assets are managed by Morgan Stanley [the global investment bank]. They're not exactly part of the local community."

"Marin doesn't have an independent business association," said Petrocelli. "It's a problem. I wish we did. But we have so many different little towns and cities here, it's hard to bring everyone together in one organization. It's easier to create one in San Francisco than in this kind of suburban area."

Nonetheless, Book Passage has many Corte Madera residents in its corner. When the rumors about Barnes & Noble's impending move were confirmed at the end of January, a group of residents started CCSIB. Soon after, CCSIB launched a website providing other residents with details of the situation, and the names and addresses of key Town Center and Barnes & Noble management, among other details.

Regarding establishing zoning that would protect Book Passage along with other independent businesses, the Book Passage newsletter noted: "To be sure, Book Passage has a stake in this issue, but whether or not such a policy would ever apply to a competitor of ours is not the point. We think it is the right policy for the community in which we live and work." Petrocelli added, "We're just hoping the meeting will be a step in the process of putting together a policy in Marin County that will protect other independent retailers from the same sort of thing that we had to go through." --Karen Schechner