California Bookstores Surrounded by Smoke and Fire Remain Optimistic

As the California wildfires continue to blaze, BTW received reports from booksellers at San Diego's Mysterious Galaxy and Pasadena's Vroman's Bookstore.

On the Monday, October 27, when Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego reported to the Book Sense Bestseller List, she included the following note: "The Mysterious Galaxy staff is all safe and sound, and none of our homes are in the immediate fire danger area. We were closed most of Sunday, October 25, and are only here briefly in the smoky dimness of Monday. The freeways are closed all around us. But we reported our bestsellers, and are trying to be optimistic about the immediate future."

On Wednesday, October 29, Hart told BTW that the store remained open, but wildfires burning 10 miles northeast of the store had destroyed hundreds of homes, and that an ember started a small fire on the median of the main street in the neighborhood of the bookstore, but that it had been extinguished.

Karen Watkins, Vroman's Bookstore vice president and general manager, told BTW, "It's dirtier than a week ago. We're surrounded by the fires -- there's one about 20 miles away in any direction, so we've got poor air quality, smoke, and all of that -- not what we're used to. We're not in any danger. It would have to literally burn through thousands of homes [to get to us]. But we also have the MTA strike and the grocery strike going on here.... Foot traffic is not what it should be at this point. Things are a little sluggish."

The wildfires, now in their ninth day, have consumed an area nearly the size of Rhode Island and destroyed thousands of homes, according to California's Office of Emergency Services. The fires are one of the deadliest and costliest disasters in California history.

Booksellers affected by the fires are encouraged to contact BTW should they want to share any pertinent information for future coverage. -- Karen Schechner