Will another indie bookstore bite the dust?

Even as sorrowful customers see Dutton's through its last hours of business today, another beloved neighborhood bookseller finds itself on life support. It's Libreria Martinez in Santa Ana, which started life as a small shelf of secondhand books in then-hair cutter (and now MacArthur grantee) Ruben Martinez's barber shop.

Today, Martinez owns two small bookstores, which — though they serve as neighborhood centers, with readings, discussion groups, community meetings and visits from world-renowned authors — are in serious financial trouble. Poor economy, too many people shopping the chains and Amazon.com — you know the drill.

Unless Libreria Martinez gets some customer love, pronto, the place is in real trouble, says Gustavo Arreleno, columnist for the OC Weekly. The store's already giving a 40% discount on some of the books, hoping to pull in more business. (And, in case you're wondering about where Martinez's grant money goes, it's paid out by the MacArthur Foundation in quarterly chunks. All of it goes to the store.)

Do bookstores matter? Where did the books on your nightstand come from?

—Veronique de Turenne

Photo: Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Laura Rangel]

This is a sad case of neglect by the citizens of Santa Ana and the surrounding community. People do not put enough emphasis on the beauty and importance of reading. I would be devestated to see the Libreria Martinez go. Not only because of the history but because this place has served as a hub for Latino authors, journalists and readers alike, to share a place where they can see their commonalities. What this place needs is the media to help like Mr. Ruben Martinez has helped them all these years.

[LB]

Independent bookstores are a sign of a healthy, involved community. Residents need to catch the vision of what is possible using a local cultural center, like the bookstores, as a base. Like small cafes, barbershops, and often libraries and churches, bookstores provide a space for social, intellectual, and creative growth and expression. I have seen hip-hop poets aged 16 to 50 at la Raza Galleria's poetry slam in Sacramento, stood transfixed in a corner of Santa Monica's Midnight Bookstore listening to writer's and poets read alternately, and watched Native American and African storyteller's weave their magic at a small bookstore in Culver City. For the "Good Life," don't buy a new digital television, buy a stack of books and challenge the family to a read-off. Give the TV money to the winner.