The only bookstore in Ocean Beach, Run for Cover on Voltaire near Cable, is closing its doors on July 1. There will be major sidewalk sales coming up – so stay alert for them, as Marianne Reiner, the owner, has to sell as much of her inventory as possible. (Check RfC website for dates, etc.)
Here is the statement to her Book Lovers that Marianne wrote on her website:
Dear Book Lovers,
This is the letter I was hoping to never have to write.
Run for Cover Bookstore in its current form will be closing as of July 1, 2020.
The greatest gift Run for Cover Bookstore has brought me has been to get to know so many of you. Our conversations, our exchanges about books, society and life in general have enriched me in ways I can’t even begin to describe.
My dream of creating a community of Book Lovers (as I love to call you all!) was realized. Despite the ups and down and being taken out by a pandemic and its economic consequences I would do it all over again.
Ever since I discovered my love of reading as a young girl I had been dreaming of one day owning a brick and mortar bookstore. I did!
The next 3 weeks are going to be tough as I need to vacate the premises and sell as much of our inventory as possible. We will hold some major sidewalk sales (while keeping all needed social distances and asking for mask wearing) and we will post the dates on our social media platform as soon as possible.
We will honor all the special orders placed. And we will continue to honor all the gift cards already sold until we close our doors.
Our Book Lovers Club subscription program will continue and if anything we hope to make it even stronger. Curating books for those who love that is my passion. Passions don’t die off. They evolve.
What is the future of Run for Cover Bookstore looking like?
Frankly, as I type this letter I am not too sure!
But here is what I am sure of:
RFC Bookstore is morphing into something new and different; it is not disappearing.
The community of readers and book lovers we have here and well beyond our neighborhood and city is the best one a bookseller could dream of. I will continue to work in one capacity or another to foster this community.
The social justice curation I have thrived to bring into the bookstore from day 1 will continue in one form or another. Our country is at a crossroad when it comes to issues of racial justice, inequality, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, children’s rights, immigrant rights, voting rights and climate change. A bookstore holds a critical role in the greater landscape of what is shaping in front of us. I intend to remain a part of these much needed conversations and actions.
If anything, the pandemic has emphasized even more than before the need to provide books to all children. When libraries and schools suddenly closed some amazing supporters of the bookstore stepped in and donated money so we could buy and distribute books to children who otherwise had no access to books. I intend to continue to work to ensure all children have access to books they can own and cherish for years to come.
I would like to end this letter as a love letter to all of you (Don’t tell my husband!) You all have made walking into RFC Bookstore a thrill every single morning. I have met people from all walks of life I would have never met otherwise. I have shared amazing moments with so many of you. You have made me laugh so hard, you have made me cry (happy tears only!).
Seeing children comfortably sitting in our book nook with their head in a book or while being read to brought me so much joy and excitement. Knowing that these books might have been the spark to create lifelong readers is the number one reason I wanted to open a bookstore.
Meeting middle grade and young adults whose eyes wandered on the pages of books lining our shelves and who had so much to share about the books they were reading has been such a gift. I have learned so much from each and every one of you. Keep on reading!
No bookstore could ever exist without authors. I am indebted for life to the many authors who have graced us with their words, their stories, their voices and their presence in the store. Each and every one of you made the little girl in me giddy at the thought of “meeting a real author”! I cherish the memories of our time spent together and I hope whatever new form RFC Bookstore will morph into you all will be part of it.
I would like to close by saying:
From the bottom of my heart, Thank You for making my dream a reality.
As we say in French, this is an “au revoir” not an “adieu”. Run for Cover Bookstore is looking for its Phoenix (or its owl?!) as the ashes we stand on right now are merely a symbol of our metamorphosis.
Never stop: reading real books, support small and local businesses and engage in civic and social justice conversations and actions.
In books we trust,
Marianne
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Sidewalk sales started Monday. 25% off everything in the store except noon jewelry/products (20% off).
Thanks for everything, Marianne!
Sad to say I did not get the pleasure of experiencing this store, but even sadder that it has not been able to make a go of it. It was so refreshing to read that an enterprise other than booze and buffalo wings was coming into OB- art stores, book stores, garden shops, craft shops, some many possibilities COULD be realized for this awesome coastal town. RFC, I sure appreciate your efforts and wish you the best moving forward. There’s just nothing better or more staisfying than a book (well, except maybe a plant). Best of luck :-)