Final chapter? Steve Lopez on Dutton's sad news

The closing of Dutton’s Brentwood Books, possibly for good, is easy to understand and hard to accept. Reminiscences don’t pay the bills, nor does nostalgia stand up against changes in the retail market or the shrinking appreciation of well-read employees who can recommend books you won’t find on airplanes or beaches.

I’ll remember night-out dates with my wife when we’d meet at Dutton’s, browse the shelves, then go across to dinner at Pizzicotto.

I’ll remember being on book tour, which can be a humiliating experience as you visit one giant chain after another where even the store clerks have never heard of you or your book, and feeling relieved by the welcome and the audience at Dutton’s.

I’ll remember watching Al Martinez read from his latest book as I sat with his wife and my wife, and with fans of Al’s, feeling very much like the whole affair was a gathering of friends in someone’s living room.

Read Steve Lopez's recent columns.

Comments

[John Gregory]

I once had a music history teacher -- a German Jew, who got to this country because of A. Schweitzer.
My teacher worked tirelessly to protect his passion -- music -- and to instill the sense of appreciation in us. I will never forget him, and I will always honor him

I once saw a man -- a developer, who got to this country because he was born here.
He works tirelessly to continue to pursue his passion -- winning -- and to show us that with enough money and cunning you can get what you want. I will never forget him, however I will never honor him.

[Hali Burton]

I have made it a personal mission not to buy from the big box stores and online merchandisers. I often go out of my way to shop at Dutton's, Vroman's and Skylight. I do a lot of driving, so I'm often near one of them. Books are precious. I cherish all of mine.

The closing of Dutton's in Brentwood (and the other two I also visited) is terribily sad. I hope Doug and staff find a new place to hang their hats - I will happily patronize them.

[Daniel]

I would place far more of the blame for the store's closing on the publishers who give far better deals to chain stores and big-boxes than to really great, small bookstores like Dutton's. Charlie Munger may have had a bad idea for developing the site, but ultimately he's not at fault for the diminishing importance of literacy in American life.

[Erika]

What a sad day for Los Angeles. The owner of the building should be ashamed of himself. Which is more important: making more (and more) money or knowing that, by keeping Dutton's in the building, you are enriching peoples' spirits every day?