{"id":507234,"date":"2026-10-25T05:22:36","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T05:22:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/507234\/"},"modified":"2026-10-25T05:22:36","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T05:22:36","slug":"las-read-books-was-forced-out-by-a-rent-hike-now-the-bookstore-is-back-daily-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/507234\/","title":{"rendered":"LA\u2019s READ Books was forced out by a rent hike. Now the bookstore is back \u2013 Daily News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jeremy and Debbie Kaplan haven\u2019t sold a book out of their store, READ Books<\/a>, in nearly half a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took us six months to find a place. It\u2019s been almost six months since we\u2019ve had any income,\u201d says Jeremy Kaplan, who provided a tour of the new location on a rainy Wednesday as they prepared to reopen.<\/p>\n

READ Books, which was in Eagle Rock for more than 19 years<\/a>, has relocated to Cypress Park at 594 West Avenue 28. For those familiar with the original location, you can reach the new one by driving south on Eagle Rock Boulevard for 3 miles, and with a street name change or two, be there in about 10-15 minutes.<\/p>\n

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\"READREAD Books owners Jeremy and Debbie Kaplan, after being priced out of Eagle Rock by a proposed 133% rent hike, have reopened their store in Cypress Park. Jeremy Kaplan shows off the store ahead of the reopening on Oct. 21, 2026. (Photo by Erik Pedersen \/ SCNG)<\/p>\n

As he prepared for the Oct. 23 soft reopening, Kaplan showed off the space, which is more than twice the size of the original location and already filling up with books. While adding a couch and a display table were immediate needs, he said they were considering ways to make the spot work for both themselves and the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking at pop-ups, maybe coffee or tea, and we can have community events,\u201d he says, adding that he plans to add movable bookshelves he can shift for meetings. \u201cIt\u2019s a large space, and we could use some help with the rent.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Kaplans and their 17-year-old shop dog, Florence, relocated after being informed that their rent would increase by 133%, which was untenable for the tiny, 650-square-foot space.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found out in February this was happening and we started looking for places in Eagle Rock and Highland Park, and there was nothing there,\u201d says Kaplan. \u201cThey\u2019re all either being kept vacant intentionally, or they\u2019re all like just ridiculous prices. \u2026 There\u2019s nothing we could take that we would have been able to survive on. So yeah, Eagle Rock and Highland Park are cooked.\u201d<\/p>\n

LA\u2019s READ Books in Eagle Rock says a rent increase is forcing them out<\/a><\/p>\n

Since the proposed rent increase, Kaplan and others started a group, SNELAS: Save Northeast Los Angeles Shops<\/a>, to combat what he sees as a growing displacement trend as small businesses are pushed out and spaces allowed to remain empty, harming local businesses and communities. While he praises several local leaders for their help, he says he\u2019d like to see, say, the L.A. mayoral candidates address the issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still working through our organization, SNELAS: Save Northeast Los Angeles Shops, to get legislation done. Things like this are popping up all over the city,\u201d says Kaplan, citing examples of store owners facing similar situations in Sherman Oaks, South Pasadena and Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re in shock,\u201d says Kaplan. \u201cThey\u2019re afraid, and it\u2019s hard to get them to fight back. Some do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kaplan says they found the new space by chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really hard to find this place. The only reason we got it is because we were driving by the day the sign went up. I\u2019m sure if we hadn\u2019t been, it would have been gone in a few days. Places like this and landlords who aren\u2019t charging ridiculous prices are like unicorns now,\u201d says Kaplan, who praises the landlord\u2019s interest in the bookstore and how it can add to the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not interested in selling it to a corporation, which gives us some more security. But I mean, the problem still exists,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Even as he sets up to get back to the business of selling books, Kaplan says he still feels the strain.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t get to make money for half a year, and it takes a lot of stress,\u201d he says. \u201cI still don\u2019t sleep right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Map: 100 Southern California independent bookstores to visit in 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

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