![]() “The joke goes, ‘How do you make a small fortune in the book business? Start with a large fortune.’”įamily Books, the idiosyncratic bookseller on Fairfax Avenue, was among L.A.’s COVID-19 casualties last year. “Independent bookstores are still experiencing an increase in costs, labor shortages, supply chain issues and uncertainty in an industry notorious for its already-thin margins,” said Allison Hill, ABA’s chief executive officer. And although 2021 was the biggest year in sales for many bookstores including Skylight, staying alive is a ceaseless struggle. … We’re constantly evolving to dodge the next threat.”Īccording to the American Booksellers Assn., 215 bookstores opened last year as the pandemic raged 41 closed. “The ones that are left are stronger than ever. “The bookstores that have made it have learned some really valuable lessons each time,” said Mary Williams, the bookstore’s co-owner and general manager. Their secret? Resilience and adaptability, for starters. Lit City: The Everything Guide to Literary Los AngelesĪ guide to the literary geography of Los Angeles: A comprehensive bookstore map, writers’ meetups, place histories, an author survey, essays and more. In a recent survey sent out by The Times asking writers about their preferred stores, Skylight was a popular favorite. and beyond have been continually imperiled by blockbuster chains, Amazons, recessions and now a pandemic, Skylight is among those that have withstood the test of time. Ever since, Skylight has served as an anchor to a rapidly changing neighborhood, just as Chatterton’s did for 20 years, alongside its older next-door neighbor, the Los Feliz 3 theater. 1, 1996, replacing beloved Chatterton’s Bookshop after the death of its owner-founder, William Koki Iwamoto. Squeezed between a neighborhood movie theater and a children’s clothing shop, a giant sign reading “Books” stretches skyward. Rows of Indian laurel fig trees line the streets of Los Feliz Village, home to a historic cluster of locally owned cafes, bars, restaurants, boutique clothing stores - and a flagship bookstore. This story is part of Lit City, our comprehensive guide to the literary geography of Los Angeles. ![]()
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