Don't believe in signs, but this just hit our email

Santa Monica Promenade losing Borders Books

Shoppers at the Borders bookstore on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California got a surprise welcome as they walked through the door: a sign announcing that the store is closing on January 10th.


A sign of tough economic times?

The Borders also holds a Seattle's Best coffee stand, and coincidentally sits next to the Kira Plastanina fashion store, whose closure (along with mist of its other US outlets) was announced last week. Everything there is 70 percent off.

(The closure may be good news to one competitor besides the Barnes & Noble at the other end of the Promenade: Village Books in neighboring Pacific Palisades, which is fighting to stay alive amid competition from chains like Borders.)

...and we say BOO to KCBS and KCAL TV News!

At least one local TV news outlet-- well, two, thanks to corporate mergers and information consolidation-- showed up to cover the Tom Hanks Village Bookstore appearance last night. And then ran away without reporting it.

Though there were 200 people lined up outside, five mysterious security men about, big clear windows looking inside, and an important community story to cover, reporter Christina McLarty brags that she had the story killed because she was inconvenienced--- and ran back to the station two hours before airtime to giggle and complain on the station's blog:

Dec 17, 2008 9:18 PM
Village Books in Pacific Palisades
Posted by Christina

So....the store looks cute. But we went out there tonight (mind you braving the pouring rain and crazy traffic on the 405). The story had been set up for two days, Tom Hanks signing any bought items there in order to help a struggling neighborhood store get by in a tough economy. When we arrived, the store had 4 security guys in front of it. Inside, another security guy. I walked in to talk to the store owner and let her know we had arrived and were ready to start shooting. At the last moment, the owner and Hanks assistant said the star did not want cameras inside the store. About 5 security guards against me and a camera guy...we had to kill the story. But here's what I want to know, did Tom Hanks really pull the plug on a story that is all about getting the book store some notoriety!? Ugh, so frustrating. I have interviewed him before, several times...and he is SO cool! He is always a class act, talks to everyone, and even jokes around with the media! So why the cold shoulder? Ok, enough venting, it's almost Christmas so I wish him and the store well : ) Haha

Haha. What a reporter! Her photo says it all...

(Insert corporate conspiracy theory here)

Village Books says Hooray for Tom Hanks!

Close to 200 people braved the unusually harsh elements to crowd into Village Books in Pacific Palisades last night as local resident and Hollywood heavyweight Tom Hanks showed up to autograph books and DVDs to raise money to keep the vital bookstore from closing down.

Store owner Katie O'Laughlin tells us:

"We had almost 200 people who huddled in the freezing cold from 6:30 - almost 9:30! He is awesome. I'll send photos when I get them."

Will Tom's industry neighbors allow the bookstore to close because it's easier to send their personal assistants to Barnes & Noble? Will the town that's been home to Ronald Reagan, Jerry Lewis, Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Aldous Huxley, Thomas Mann, Will Rogers and Irving Wallace allow this important cultural landmark to fall to high rents and corportate greed?

The fight to save the neighborhood bookstore continues-- and it's time to step up!

Save Village Books

We've told you about the hard times for Village Books in Pacific Palisades, California, a perfect local bookshop that was a memorable stop on the Tabloid Baby national book tour nine years ago. Big box stores in the area, empty storefronts on the street and other economic woes-- not to mention the quixotic plight of the indie bookstore-- may soon put it out of business. So tomorrow night, Tom Hanks is stopping by to autograph books.

No, he didn't write a book, but he's showing up at 7 p.m. Wednesday night (tomorrow, or today if you read this on Wednesday) to autograph "Tom Hanks-related" books and DVDs (the ads make it seem like he'll even autograph your Artie Lange book, which was strange but nice as well). He'll attract cameras and press and it will be a rally to save Village Books. Maybe he feels bad for forcing that lady to close her bookstore ten years ago in You've Got Mail-- look what happened to her with all the plastic surgery and permanent trout pout-- or maybe someone showed him what we wrote a year ago, when we wondered why a town in which cultural big shots like him reside can't support a bookstore, but more likely he's just trying to help out in town. Hanks is a local and he goes out of his way to be normal. We see him around all the time. at CVS, last week at Panda Express. The only difference between him and a real normal person is that he pays in cash from a big fat wad in a money clip. One of the kids noticed that.

Save Village Books. They're not some big indie like Powell's. They're a little shop on the corner. And they take online orders.

And by the way, Larry David should stop by next week. Then Spielberg, then Steve Guttenberg, then Kate Hudson...