Spotlight on Bookstores: In memoriam *Dutton's Brentwood Bookstore* in Los Angeles/Brentwood

A big Too Fond of Books‘ welcome to Anna Lefler, author of the humorous The CHICKtionary: From A-Line to Z-Snap, the Words Every Woman Should Know. These are more than 450 words and phrases that should be incorporated into our vocabularies, including:

• Aberzombie: Derived from the name of the popular clothing stores, Aberzombie refers to any of the nation of plaid shirt-and-tank-top-wearing undead that can be seen staggering through the food courts of malls across America.
• Bandeau: From the French word meaning “there’s no way that’s staying up,” this is a type of woman’s top that consists of a strip of fabric encircling the chest at breast level and remaining aloft through snugness and prayers.

How can you not grin at those two teasers? Read more about Ann Lefler and The CHICKtionary, visit her website and follow her on twitter.

Today, Anna is writing about a favorite bookstore that closed in the Spring of 2008. These “in memoriam” posts are just as poignant as those which laud the bookstores we can still visit. And please do visit your local independent bookstore (if there’s one near you), or seek them out when traveling!

Dutton’s Brentwood – Gone But Not Forgotten

Dutton’s is closed. Even though it’s been three years now, I still can’t believe it. For years, Dutton’s was our “neighborhood” bookstore, with all the lovely, quirky qualities the term implies. Located on a bustling boulevard of gleaming, high-end boutiques in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, Dutton’s was a steadfastly non-glam – and magical – retreat for book lovers of all ages.

I won’t attempt to recount the history of the store, other than to say that it was founded in 1961, back when Don Draper was still trying to figure out the emotional appeal of a carousel projector. In the intervening decades, Dutton’s retained the atmosphere of a store grounded in a previous time while carrying an absolutely current inventory – an impressive feat.

Occupying the ground floor of an unassuming building on tony San Vicente Boulevard, Dutton’s felt like a bookstore, even smelled like one. Everything about it was organic, from the accumulation of handwritten notes around the cash registers to the manner in which the store seemed to ooze from one disjointed ground-floor suite into another (after a brief walk across the groovy mid-century courtyard).

In addition to the many hours spent wandering through the aisles, following one stream of thought into another as my finger traced the lengths of shelves (the original “Google surfing” experience, perhaps?), my memories of Dutton’s reside at the intersection of literature and community.

The first that come to mind are the evenings spent working the gift wrap table at our preschool’s “Evening at Dutton’s” – an annual fundraising event generously hosted by the store. All of the merchandise rooms would be filled to bursting as the crowds spilled out into the courtyard, clutching hot coffee against the chilly night air and chattering about how many books they had bought, and how wonderful it was to have real social interaction rather than the hurried hellos of drop-off and pickup time. The conversations would continue long past sales time as parents carried bags of books to their cars, gathering in clusters in the parking lot before finally waving goodbye and driving home.

And then, of course, there were the readings. As an aspiring author, Dutton’s readings were especially enticing to me. Again, the store’s charming courtyard was the focus, with attendees scattered among the benches and patio umbrellas. Coupled with the enthusiastic crowds and the bright, sunny weather that accompanied every Dutton’s reading I ever attended, these events captured a specific Los Angeles literary vibe that I have never experienced. Maybe someday, I sometimes dared to think as I stood in the audience.

Of course, every bookstore is fantastic in its own way and offers a uniquely flavored experience; Dutton’s just happened to be that special place in my neighborhood.  When the store finally closed its doors for the last time as a result of insurmountable financial challenges caused by the potential redevelopment of its location, my neighborhood – as well as a much larger slice of the community – lost an irreplaceable institution.

In my opinion, every neighborhood should have a bookstore.  And, if the folks who live in that neighborhood are very, very lucky…it will be as special as Dutton’s Brentwood.

Thanks, Anna, for telling us about Dutton’s Brentwood – I hope we see a turnaround and that the neighborhood gains another wonderful indie – it really is an important piece of the community!

This Spotlight on Bookstores post is part of Anna’s blog tour with TLC Book Tours; please visit these other stops on her tour:

• Monday, November 14th:  Life in Review
• Tuesday, November 15th:  Amused by Books
• Thursday, November 17th:  Reviews from the Heart
• Friday, November 18th:  Chick Lit Reviews
• Monday, November 21st:  I Am A Reader, Not A Writer – Author Q&A
• Wednesday, November 23rd:  The Betty and Boo Chronicles
• Friday, November 25th: Melody & Words
• Monday, November 28th:  Silver and Grace
• Thursday, December 1st:  Chick Lit is Not Dead
• Friday, December 2nd:  Overstuffed
• Friday, December 2nd:  Silver and Grace – author guest post
• Monday, December 5th:  A Musing Reviews
• Tuesday, December 6th:  Peeking Between the Pages
• Wednesday, December 7th:  Peeking Between the Pages – guest post
• Thursday, December 8th:  Sara’s Organized Chaos
• Friday, December 9th:  2 Kids and Tired
• Monday, December 12th:  Write Meg!
• Tuesday, December 13th:  Suko’s Notebook
• Thursday, December 15th:  Life… with Books
• Friday, December 16th:  Colloquium – guest post
• Monday, December 19th:  A Chick Who Reads