This past weekend I stumbled on a sad site. Cody’s Books (a great independent book store in Berkeley) has closed it’s doors after 52 years in business! 

Since moving to Oakland, Cody’s has been a frequent weekend stop for me when I was itching for a new design magazine or wanting to take in the smell of new books at a sweet little neighborhood bookstore. Apparently they have been in trouble for some time and after an attempt to save the store by moving it from a high rent district to a lower rent area, Cody’s has had to call it quits.

Seeing this happen to a business like Cody’s really made me stop and think about the importance of supporting local independent businesses. Cody’s always gave me something larger book stores can’t compete with; the feeling that I’m a valued customer and my support is appreciated. I’m going to miss that.

Luckily my boyfriend and I were able to purchase a few last books before their doors were shut for good. I suppose the moral of the story is a plea to everyone to support their local businesses and the little guy trying to make a dream happen. The best we can do for each other in hard times is support one another. Ciao Cody’s! You will be missed!  

Posted on Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 at 6:17 pm / Category: Indie Shops. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.