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Bookshop Santa Cruz Celebrates 40th Birthday as Keys Pass from Father to Daughter
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On November 10, Bookshop Santa Cruz, in Santa Cruz, California, celebrated its 40th birthday and the passing of store management from owner Neal Coonerty to his daughter, Casey Coonerty Protti. Approximately 350 friends of the store attended the party.
 Passing the keys. Ryan Coonerty, Casey Coonerty Protti, and Neal Coonerty. |
The annual Bookshop Birthday Party was, according to Protti, "a bigger deal than usual, mainly because my dad is leaving to become a Santa Cruz County supervisor. The Hot Damn String Band played, as they have for the past 25 years; there was birthday cake; we had our two-day annual... sale; and then we had some special things," she added.
 The Hot Damn String Band played, as they have for the past 25 years. |
Coonerty, who has owned the store for 33 of its 40 years, narrated a video montage of the store's colorful history, which included footage of the original Bookshop Santa Cruz taken right before it was destroyed in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. For the following three years, Bookshop Santa Cruz was housed in a pavilion tent before it reopened in the rebuilt downtown. Coonerty ran the bookstore with his wife, Candy Coonerty, until her death in 1999.
 Guests enjoyed a large birthday cake. |
A number of guests paid public tribute to Coonerty during the evening, and banners printed with praises for the store from many notable authors festooned the interior. According to Protti, the emotional high point of the evening was the ceremonial passing of the keys to Bookshop Santa Cruz from father to daughter.
In the months leading up to the bash, authors including Jonathan Franzen, Amy Sedaris, Sen. Barbara Boxer, James McGreevey, and John Robbins have appeared at the store. Charles Frazier will visit in early December.
Coonerty, who has been the mayor of Santa Cruz and a city councilman, as well as an ABA president and board member, will be sworn in as county supervisor on January 2. Coonerty's son, Ryan, a councilman for the city of Santa Cruz, works part-time at Bookshop Santa Cruz. --Nomi Schwartz
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HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY BOOKSHOP SANTA CRUZ! --Isabel Allende If books have souls (and I believe they do), Bookshop Santa Cruz is their heaven! It certainly has been a heavenly place for me to hold book events--filled with great spirit, wonderful people, good local beer, and a truly fun time. I can hardly wait to do it again! Happy 40th! --Jim Hightower Bookshop is the alert, bright eye of downtown Santa Cruz. Long may it shine. --Jonathan Franzen I made $340 in tips the last time I visited your store. The staff was freakishly kind, I was allowed to smoke during the signing, and at the end of the day I was offered a free book. This makes your store perfect in my opinion, and I'd be honored to return. Sincerely, Dear Bookshop Santa Cruz-- Thank you for the years of comfort and warmth that I felt whenever I walked through your doors. Thank you for making reading cool and for helping me get through college. And thank you for the warm welcome when I released my book. Congratulations on turning 40! You are a big reason why Santa Cruz is so magical. With love and affection, After visiting my daughter, Maggie, in Santa Cruz I always headed for Bookshop Santa Cruz. Why? Because Neal Coonerty and his staff extended, always, the warmest welcome. Besides that, they know books, the old and the new. They were--and are--the friendliest and most knowledgeable book people on the West Coast. Onward, Bookshop Santa Cruz! --Frank McCourt Happy Birthday, Bookshop Santa Cruz! --Bill Bryson |