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(Foto por Connor McBride)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Owner Brian Lucas took over the business 32 years ago. After visiting three stores back in the \u201980s, the former Trinity Presbyterian Church minister and current William Jessop University professor knew he found the right spot when he toured the Normal Heights location.<\/p>\n
Currently, he is a part-time San Diego resident, where his children still live. When Lucas is in Sacramento, California, with his wife, he leaves day-to-day operations to the bookstore\u2019s manager, Michael Smythe.<\/p>\n What drew Lucas into the business is a love for books and people. He felt as if he was \u201cjoining a guild,\u201d receiving support from other book dealers and patrons alike.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always about people \u2014 I mean I love books, to be sure, and I\u2019m an adjunct professor on the side \u2014 so I love books and I love teaching. But I love people more,\u201d Lucas said. \u201cAnd to have a job where you get to do both of those things, it\u2019s as good as it gets, I think. So to me, that\u2019s the core of the whole thing.\u201d<\/p>\n That love kept the store alive for years. Though Lucas can\u2019t quite pinpoint why his business was able to keep afloat for as long as it did, he attributes much of the success to a little bit of luck and his long-standing staff. Between Smythe, long-time employee Scott Emerson, and himself, the three have about 110 years of experience under their belts, which Lucas thinks kept them ahead of the curve.<\/p>\n \u201cThat experience and the trade and to be able to go out and buy large collections of books is really important,\u201d he said. \u201cUltimately, it comes down to having the best books.\u201d<\/p>\n However, the priority on books in bookstores has recently fell by the wayside. Many have relied on hosting community events \u2014 open mics, music performances, poetry readings, or public lectures \u2014 to bring people into the store. Others have resorted to selling food or drink items, such as coffee and muffins, hoping patrons will pair them with a book or two.<\/p>\n Also, independent businesses have had to rely on online selling, in addition to their brick-and-mortar shops, to stay competitive. Online companies such as Amazon have drastically altered the print market, with their ability to sell books at a fraction of a cost over the internet.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen every book that is available can be seen at once on one screen, you don\u2019t need to be a genius to realize what\u2019s going to happen to the prices,\u201d Lucas said.<\/p>\n Though many customers who frequent the store have speculated Amazon is responsible for the fall of the local business, Lucas doesn\u2019t want to play the blame game. Instead, Lucas emphasized there are a number of factors that play into the store\u2019s demise. Overall, it all boiled down to a large change in today\u2019s society.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no secret that younger generations are not reading as much as they used to. With the prominence of the internet and technology \u2014 leading to the distractedness of the culture \u2014 the world is shifting away from pages to screens.<\/p>\n Brittani Santos-Hills, 21, is Adams Avenue Book Store\u2019s youngest employee. She began her \u201cdream job\u201d six months ago. Ever since she was little, Santos-Hill found refuge in the pages of a book.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always been more into books,\u201d Santos-Hill said. \u201cEspecially because there was a point in my life \u2014 in my early years \u2014 where books were my friends when I had none. And I\u2019ve always had an appreciation for books and being able to escape.\u201d<\/p>\n Though she grew up in the age of the internet, Santos-Hill notes that the experience of going into a bookstore is vastly different from Googling for a title. She believes it negatively alters the experience of book buying and reading.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re buying a book online, you often have to know exactly what you want, know the search terms, and know the author,\u201d she continued. \u201cBookstores like this? This is where things can find you, instead of you finding it. There are so many books that I have now and love that I probably never would have chosen on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n After the store closes, Santos-Hill plans to pursue special education. Though she is sad her time among the binds has to end so soon, she is grateful for the experience, friendships and personal growth.<\/p>\n \u201cWorking in a bookstore has been a dream,\u201d she said. \u201cSome of the best conversations I\u2019ve had in my life have been through this store. Especially when you find people who are just interested in ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n Likely in the spirit of Uptown\u2019s trendy trademark \u2014 with an increased focus on analog \u2014 some entrepreneurs have recently decided to open up new bookstores in the area. Despite the closure of his own business, Lucas wishes nothing but the best for these local ventures. He even sat down with a few of them to offer them sage wisdom, focusing on the accelerated changes in today\u2019s society.<\/p>\n \u201cI certainly want to encourage them. But I said, \u2018You just have different questions to answer than we did,\u2019\u201d Lucas told them. \u201cThe things that I had to deal with \u2014 or somebody else had to deal with \u2014 30 years ago are just different, that\u2019s all. So you got to look at what are you going to have to do to survive, given the reality that we have.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n He admitted that the growing need to \u201cadjust to a moving target\u201d may have attributed to his store\u2019s inability to sustain in the current culture. Though they made efforts to do this themselves \u2014 with many of his employees making a big difference \u2014 adapting an old system to the ever-changing reality proved a struggle.<\/p>\n \u201c[New bookstores] have to have people [on staff] that can connect with the culture around them,\u201d he continued. \u201cThey have to be able to connect with the way we interrelate with people; how they offer our goods to [customers] in a way that is going to reach them. That\u2019s probably something I didn\u2019t do very well.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet there is no resentment or regret in his words. Lucas said he is fortunate for his three-decade run in the business, surrounded by the good company of close friends and sprawling books lining the walls. He notes that the surrounding Uptown community has been very supportive and positive about the news.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been here for 32 years \u2013 the store\u2019s been here for 53 years \u2013 and it\u2019s been fantastic,\u201d Lucas said. \u201cGreat people; I love Normal Heights, great area.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, there\u2019s lots of reasons [for the closure], there always is,\u201d he continued. \u201cBut I try to be as positive about it as I can. There\u2019s so much to be thankful for. Life friendships have come out of this, for everybody, for all of us, not just for me. And I consider myself to be a very fortunate person to be able to have experienced that.\u201d<\/p>\n The store\u2019s liquidation sale began on June 4 and will run until the store\u2019s closing in mid-July. All books will be marked 25 percent off. The remaining books that are not sold will be donated to William Jessop University\u2019s library, the school that Lucas teaches at. The fate of the building is unknown; once Adams Avenue Book Store closes, the property will be put up for sale.<\/p>\n And despite rumors circulating on the internet that the store\u2019s house cat Bartleby will be out on the Uptown streets after the doors shut, Lucas offered assurance that the 15-year-old feline will find refuge in the home of a Normal Heights neighbor and long-time patron of the business.<\/p>\n For more information about the store and updates on its closure, visit adamsavebooks.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Final](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/front-page-2-e1529079542753.jpg\")
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