Kepler's: A Menlo Park Institution Turns 50

Founded in 1955, Kepler's of Menlo Park, California, was created with the goal of serving as a resource and gathering place for civil rights activists, artists, and writers. Roy and Patricia Kepler established Kepler's Books and Magazines during the "paperback revolution" and conceptualized running a bookstore as "right livelihood." They made Kepler's a venue for hard-to-find literature, as well as stocking mainstream publishers. This May, Kepler's will celebrate its 50th anniversary.

The original Kepler's opened in Menlo Park and moved several times, eventually settling in their current, 10,000-square-foot location in 1989. Throughout its history, the Keplers have not only been dedicated political activists, but also have created a bookstore where other activists were welcome to meet, read, and work. Sadly, Roy Kepler passed away in 1994.

In a press statement, Betty Sumrall, former Kepler's manager, described the bookstore during the '50s and '60s: "If you had long hair, you could come in -- there were places at this time where you could not even go if you had long hair. If you were too poor to buy a book, you could come in and read. Anyone, radical or not, was welcome." A store advertisement of the time summed up their attitude: "You'll find here the views of Communists, socialists (both Marxists and democratic), conservatives, know nothings, humanists, pacifists, libertarians, semanticists, scientists, etc."

In 1979, Roy Kepler's son, Clark, began working as a buyer. "As a kid, I ran through the store in my bare feet," said Clark Kepler. "I hadn't planned to go into the family business, but as a young man I found my way into it, working part time and summers. I came into it full-time when Dad needed a buyer. He was dealing with Parkinson's, and I was at an age where I wanted to go save the world. But, at that point, I realized I had an opportunity to help my family rather than chase after a bunch of idealistic dreams. I made that commitment, and I haven't looked back."

Each year the bookstore celebrates its anniversary in May, though the upcoming 50th will be, of course, a special event. "On the 14th of May we'll have a party with music, and the list of authors is starting to shape up," said Clark Kepler. "The next day we'll close the store and have a private party for sales reps, friends of the business, those who've helped behind the scenes."

Kepler's started out as a paperback store, but now sells both paperbacks and hardcovers. Clark Kepler said his father's philosophy for the store was to offer breadth of selection; the current inventory of 100,000 titles maintains that founding vision. "My father thought the bookstore should offer access to the whole spectrum of ideas from the Left to the Right. He had a real passion for making ideas available."

Some adjustment, however, was inevitable. "This area has changed from what it was in the '50s and '60s. Now, it's the Silicon Valley, and we've endeavored to change with the times while maintaining the best of our history. To maintain our history while at the same time to be competitive in the new world of bookselling."

The shift has been to continue to offer the range of political viewpoints, though now the store's inventory primarily focuses on general fiction and children's literature. In addition, Kepler's stocks many science titles to meet the demands of the faculty and students of nearby Stanford University.

Kepler's joined Book Sense when the marketing program was launched in 1999, is a BookSense.com store, and recently signed up for the Book Sense Gift Card program. "We started using the cards during the holiday season, and they've done very well," said Kepler. "The ability to market them throughout the store and make them visible has substantially increased sales over certificates. I'm happy with the results though there were a few logistical challenges," he said.

"I came into this business as a very young man having no experience at all, and I was really taken by how much support exists in the book community," said Kepler, who has been working at the bookstore for half of its existence. "It didn't feel like other booksellers were my competitors but supportive colleagues. It's been an amazing ride. Though I've seen bookselling change, it remains a pretty small industry, relatively speaking, with a lot of people dedicated to the written word. It's a tradition I'm honored to be a part of." --Karen Schechner