The last chapter for The Bookstore in the Grove

Monique Lassooij packing up the books.

Monique Lassooij, bookkeeper at The Bookstore in the Grove, the bookstore part of Bookstore & Kitchen, has been packing up the store the last couple of days. The Bookstore is out.

It's a sad ending to a great place. This is the third location for the bookstore, which opened 11 years ago; it started off at the corner of Virginia and Grand and ended up on Florida Avenue and Mary Street and then their last stop was Fuller Street. 

The store sold to new owners last July and it sort of went downhill from there. The menu selection was slashed by what looks like 99%, the books went down to 10% of what was there and the unfriendly owner cared nothing about the community. 

The Kitchen part is still open and hopefully will stay open, but I've been told by other tenants at Florentine Plaza that everyone's rent is being doubled or tripled, so there may be a large fallout.

Tents will go up soon for a few days to get rid of termites and that will affect business for those already not affected by poor business.

The Bookstore has such great memories for me, the first bookstore. We had meetings there from 4th of July to the Bed Race,  and the Mad Hatter; Santa visited with children there. There were book signings with authors and open mic nights. Everything happened there. I ate there almost daily. I enjoyed weekend mornings with the Breakfast Club, their healthy bowls and burgers and steel cut oatmeal were delicious. But that all came to an end last July when the new owner felt she knew what was best. Getting rid of the number one seller - the bowls and getting rid of the number two seller, the burgers was a less than smart move. They used to sell 1000 empanadas a week, that was taken off the menu! The kitchen staff was let go, the kitchen staff that was there from day one, the staff that knew what you wanted to order and how you liked it even before you ordered it!

The large lunch crowd disappeared overnight. All the regulars left. The Breakfast Club who ate there daily from day one left, too.

A friend asked me one time if those five things on the new menu were the specials of the day. "No," I said, "That is the menu!"

The new owner was quoted, in print mind you, telling the newspaper that she carried books that she and her staff liked, not what the New York Times or the public cared for. She was literally quoted as saying, in print, that if people didn't like it, they could go to Amazon. A bricks and mortar book store telling people to go to Amazon. At least we have Books & Books now and they'll order a book for you if they don't have it in the store.

Here are a bunch of stories from the past Bookstore adventures over the years. They come up randomly, not in order. Enjoy. There are a lot of fun stories.

Here is the announcement in 2007 about the new bookstore coming to the village.

The Bookstore in happier times. 

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