From increasing availability of digital content to online shopping and a still-sluggish economy, independent bookstores are finding it harder to survive. The Sacramento Press checked out three central city bookstores to see what is working for them. When Borders Books and More closed last year, emails to the store’s Borders Rewards members cited surges in electronic readers as one of the major reason’s for the bookstore giant’s collapse. Locally, Newsbeat – a Midtown indie newsstand – shut down in November, with the owner pointing to the availability of digital content. Beers Books, The Book Collector and Time Tested Books – all located within the grid from 24th and J streets to Ninth an

On Tuesday, the Sacramento Area Peace Action showed the PBS documentary “Paperback Dreams” for its fourth Tuesday film this month. Only seven people showed up to this month’s showing, which is abnormal, according to David Kimble, who regularly attends. (good info) SAPA’s fourth Tuesday films are at 909 12th St. in the first-floor conference room. The showings are free and open to the public. SAPA has been showing films on the fourth Tuesday of the month for free the past seven years. The next film will be “Not Just a Game: Power, Politics & American Sports” on Jan. 25. “Paperback Dreams” tells the story of two Bay Area independent bookstores, Cody’s Books and Kepler’s Books. The film doc

A used bookstore called Book Monkey closed in Midtown last week. The store closed July 1 after little more than three months in business at 1330 21st St. Sales were not as good as owner Kevin Standfield expected. The store never opened the wine bar that was part of the original concept to draw customers in. "We're making enough money, barely, to pay the bills, but not enough to make it worth it being there," he said. Standfield opened the store as an offshoot of his Sacramento company, Holt Concannon, which sells consigned books for individuals and charities, including churches, through Amazon.com. Those books are sold under the online bookseller Book Quest in Sacramento. He sells book

A new bookstore concept is coming to Midtown. Entrepreneur Kevin Standfield and a partner are turning a former office space into a used bookstore and wine bar at 1330 21st St. The establishment will also sell cheese, beer, dessert and coffee. "My two favorite things in the world are to sip port and read a book," Standfield said. "I like the idea of our customers being able to sit down and hang out and read a book." To come up with a name, Standfield stuck with a theme he likes. He's calling it Book Monkey, like the Yogurt Monkey shop he and a partner opened on Fair Oaks Boulevard. "I'm in a monkey thing right now. I don't know why," he said. Boxes of books sat under plastic Wednesday

Sunday, January 17th, 2010, marked the last book signing and presentation by an author at Amicus Books Literary Arts Center and Community Bookstore, located in the older part of Marysville, California, on 413 D Street. Author Michael Don Hubbartt presented his newly published book, The Sutter Buttes (Arcadia Publishing, 2010), to a large turn-out in spite of the weather forecast of a major storm. Mr. Hubbartt offered a comprehensive history of the Sutter Buttes, known as the world's smallest mountain range, a familiar landmark to residents of the Sacramento Valley. Since its inception in 2005, Amicus Books' primary purpose was as a community literary arts center serving readers, writers,

Behind every good book is a writer with something to say and a talent for saying it. Booksellers like Peter Keat know this. They make a living finding these people and making their voices more accessible on the shelves of bookstores. But not all the great stories are written down. Starting this month, Keat and his tiny staff at Time Tested Books are offering a series of monthly talks and lectures from Sacramento's living and breathing cultural icons, thinkers and experts — and people who have just led intriguing lives. The free series, which will be held every third Sunday, is called the Sacramento Living Library "We wanted to straddle the line between books and people," Keat said, sta

In an era that has seen the rise of mega-bookstores and online book retail giants, three used bookstores in downtown Sacramento have managed to stand their ground. Beers Book Center, Time Tested Books, and The Book Collector continue to offer the same product they have for years--used books and a knowledgeable staff eager to answer any questions their customers might ask. Beers Book Center, on S and 9th, opened in 1936 and is Sacramento's largest and oldest used bookstore. Jim Naify, owner of Beers, was forced by the city to move from his original location on 14th and J, where the Sacramento Convention Center now resides. He moved into another high traffic location on 15th and L before b