Village Book Shop Closing in June

After decades as a fixture in Glendora’s downtown, the will close its doors for good.

Owner Deborah Gould said the local bookstore will close June 10, with all books in the store 25 percent off until closing. There will also be an additional 25 percent off special categories each week until closing.

Gould pointed to a variety of factors leading to the store’s closure, including the rise of big box retailer Barnes and Noble, a proliferation of ebooks and hand-held reading devices such as Nooks and Kindles, and , but the first reason Gould offered was simple.

“Glendora is not supporting a local bookstore,” said Gould. Gould said she routinely marketed the store by using it as venue for a variety of community events such as Open Mic Nights and Author Visits. The store’s walls were also used as a gallery for local artists. While downtown events brought in plenty of traffic to the store, not enough browsers were purchasing books.

With sites like Amazon.com selling books at a discounted rate, few people are willing to pay full price for a book, said Gould.

According to Gould, the Village Book Shop first opened 50 years ago as a tiny store in the Village.

In 2005, Gould purchased the store with her husband Larry and three years later moved to its bigger and current location.

Since then, aside from maintaining an inventory of books and DVDs, Gould said she tried to create a place for the community to discuss literature and explore art.

The void of a local cultural center in Glendora will be felt, said Gould.

 “I don’t blame [the store’s closure] on one thing in particular,” said Gould. “The times are changing and I don’t know how to change with it. And I feel really horrible being the one to have to close it.”

Regularly scheduled events will continue at the store until closing.

For more information, call 626-335-5720.