A decision has been made to keep the used books section open until January following a recent spike in used book sales at the Petaluma location.
Bookstore chain Copperfield’s owners have decided to postpone shutting down the used books section at its Petaluma store until after the holiday season.
In a news release from the company issued Aug. 15, it said ownership will keep the used books shop in the basement of its Petaluma location at 140 Kentucky St. open until January.
The release states the delay was “in a good-faith effort to attempt to make the department financially solvent.” After January, the company will evaluate what the next steps will be.
“We as a team here are trying to work with the community there to keep this store as viable, solvent, sustainable and present as possible for as long as possible,” said Copperfield’s Chief Operating Officer R.M. Horrell.
In June, the bookstore announced it would be eliminating the used books department by next month and downsizing about 60% of the storefront, losing approximately 6,000 square feet of space. That would leave the store with about 4,100 square feet, according to its last news release.
The company said that used books sales have dropped 24% since 2021. But, after the June announcement, Horrell said there has been a spike in used books sales.
Horrell said although keeping the used books section open may seem like a change of course, he believes the move is in alignment with the owners and management’s goal to preserve the store while pivoting in reaction to the new sales data.
“We care very deeply about the needs of the community,” Horrell said. “We want to listen, we want to be responsible and the owners are really reflective, the owners are really being as thoughtful as they can.”
Horrell clarified he is a part of the management team that works closely with the owners, but is not an owner himself. He has also worked closely with the union representing the employees.
Copperfield’s Petaluma store is the only store in which its employees are represented by Industrial Workers of the World union, which employees voted to join two years ago. Robert Glover, the shop steward, said their union is excited about the extended deadline for the used books section, but knows it still has to work to support its employees.
“The workers are elated to learn of the reprieve, and ultimately the company’s willingness to bargain. To be clear: the effects bargaining process is not over, as job loss, ceasing the sale of used books, and downsizing all remain a possibility. We have a reprieve but it’s not over. We still have work to do,” Glover said in an email.
Over the weekend, the union hosted a rally in front of the store, Glover said.
Copperfield’s ownership is also negotiating terms of its month-to-month leases. According to the news release, there are two separate landlords for three of the chain’s locations. Overall, Copperfield’s has nine stores across Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties.
Horrell did not elaborate on the leasing agreements for the buildings, but mentioned that repairing the buildings has been costly. He said the chain also faces rising expenses such as shipping costs and import tariffs. He said the company is doing its best to keep the doors open.
“We’re trying to keep all of this as viable as possible and trying to keep the programs as robust as possible, trying to stay as genuine as possible because there’s an authenticity to the store,” Horrell said.
You can reach Staff Writer Melanie Nguyen at 707-521-5457 or melanie.nguyen@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @mellybelly119