Two Booksmiths--East and West--Celebrate

Two venerable bookstores, unrelated, but with a great deal in common, celebrated
major anniversaries this fall. The Booksmith in San Francisco and the Brookline
Booksmith in the Boston area are both still owned by the people who founded
them 25 and 40 years ago, respectively, and they both are just about the oldest
businesses in their neighborhoods.

In October of 1976, in the legendary Haight Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco,
Gary Frank opened the Booksmith in a 1,000-square-foot storefront. In 1985,
he moved the store a block away to a location with three times as much space,
where it has stayed ever since.

The neighborhood continues to be a place for hip, young, intellectual types,
the same clientele that attracted Frank a generation ago. "It's always
been a trendy place--the tattoo and piercing parlors are new. That's changed,
but it's the same solid base that was always here," he told BTW.
"This neighborhood has no chain stores, [but] a lot of unique shops. It's
a haven--one of the few 'normal' places left."

Across the country, in Brookline, Massachusetts, Marshall Smith has been part
of the Brookline Booksmith since 1961. His first store was 2,000 square feet,
but within three or four years, the store had moved into a 6,000-square-foot
space a few doors away. The neighborhood, always one of the most desirable in
the greater Boston area, has a younger composition now than it did then. Smith
told BTW, "This is a very popular shopping area. The store is an
integral part of the community, thanks to the phenomenal job that Dana Brigham
[co-owner and general manager] does. She's been here for 20 years, and our controller,
Evelyn Vigo, has been here almost the entire 40 years. We have a terrific staff."

The store opted for an anniversary party of about 100 people on November 1.
Smith told BTW that no one remembers the exact day the store originally
opened, but that he knew it was between October 15 and November 15 in 1961.
The store has received numerous awards throughout the years, and Smith, a lifelong
resident of Brookline, was particularly pleased to be given a citation by the
Town Board of Selectmen for the store's exemplary contributions to the community.

Gary Frank and the staff of the Booksmith in San Francisco were moved by the
events of September 11 to forgo the store's annual anniversary sale to make
a donation to those in need. The store set aside 25 percent of the total gross
sales for the period of October 10 to October 16 for relief efforts. Frank said,
"I wanted to refocus what is usually a celebratory event into an opportunity
for the Booksmith, its staff, and customers to express our support as a result
of this tragedy."

Of the $6,800 raised, Frank delivered $5,000 to the September 11 Fund while
in New York to run in the New York City Marathon. The remainder was donated
locally to the Hamilton Family Center, which houses homeless mothers and children.

-Nomi Schwartz