LitMinds Blog and Interviews

Gary Frank is the man behind The Booksmith, one of San Francisco’s leading independent bookstores.  He opened the store in 1976 and built it into a mainstay of the city’s literary culture; over the years The Booksmith has hosted writers such as Ray Bradbury, Alan Ginsburg, Gary Larson, Kazuo Ishiguro and Matt Groening, and has been named San Francisco’s best store for new books by SF Weekly.  Recently, Gary decided to sell The Booksmith (to two of our favorite LitMinded people), and last week marked the first day of the store’s new ownership.

We caught up with Gary in the wake of the transition to ask him about what it was like creating such a neighborhood institution, what he’s up to next, and what, after more than 30 years of selling books, he recommends to readers. 

You opened the independent bookstore The Booksmith in San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury district over 30 years ago.  How did you get into the bookselling business?  Was it a longstanding dream, or an opportunity that came up suddenly?  Did it turn out as you imagined or hoped it would?

I began selling books in January of 1969 at a relatively small bookstore in Palm Springs, California called Bookland.  The store was primarily a paperback bookstore with a small selection of bestselling hardbacks.  The bookstore and its owner and staff kind of became my family.  I quickly learned to love the business, the product and the customers.  The store to this day has always been my model of what a well organized, well-stocked bookstore should be.  I continued to work in the book business in college at UC Berkeley and then at Macy’s, San Francisco, when they had a book department.  My manager at Macy’s, a Yugoslavian gentleman named Bruno Cipcich, took me under his wing and encouraged me to open my own store.  I explored various neighborhoods in San Francisco and determined that the Haight Ashbury district offered just what I was looking for—cheap rent; no new bookstore; a literate, hip community; a central location; and tremendous potential.  The Booksmith began in 1976 and continued to grow, but it was not until it moved to a much larger location that it really began to thrive and reach its potential.  Having been in business for almost 31 years, I would say my little adventure that started out when I was in my 20s turned out better than I could have ever imagined.
 

Earlier this month, you sold the store and turned over the reins to new owners.  How do you feel about leaving the business?  Do you have new projects in the works?

I feel great about the transition of ownership.  The new owners are motivated, enthused and bubbling with new ideas to revitalize the business.  My new project is to market an invention.  For years I have been frustrated by shelftalkers, those little staff recommendation blurbs that one sees hanging off shelves in bookstores. They eventually get tattered, torn and worn out.   I have created a device in which to insert those blurbs and protect them and make them more readable.  Best of all, the Plexiglas holder that holds the blurb swivels up and down to allow books behind the blurb to be removed and replaced easily.  The booksellers I have showed it to are eager to buy them and install them in their stores.  So I plan to begin marketing the device, Shelfwiz, to bookstores in the fall.


During the 30 years you ran The Booksmith, it became a San Francisco institution.  Tell us about a couple favorite memories or highlights of your time with the store.  

The most memorable times were some of the events we have had.  Some of the standouts are:  Hunter S. Thompson, Richard Avedon, Allen Ginsberg, Marianne Faithful, Neil Young, Timothy Leary, Ray Manzarek, Dave Eggers, David Sedaris.


What are some of the unexpected pleasures of running a bookstore – and The Booksmith, in particular?

I think it is the people you get to know and the relationships you build with them.


How do you think the store’s location in the Haight affected the business – clientele, inventory, etc?  Did you choose that location purposely when you started the business?  

From the start it was our customers that determined the stock mix in the store.  It was not only what residents of the community wanted but also what tourists wanted.  The residents and its visitors have countercultural and musical leanings and our inventory reflects that.  


What would you like to see happen with The Booksmith in the next 5-10 years?  Do you have hopes for the future of the store?

I would like to see it continue to serve the wonderful people of the Haight and continue to grow and remain one of San Francisco’s leading independent bookstores.


With the rise of chain bookstores and large online retailers such as Amazon.com, the bookselling industry is changing.  What do you see as the future of the profession?  Is the direction you see it going the same one you would like it to take?

I have never seen chain bookstores as a threat.  If an independent bookstore has a solid community base and continues to try to serve that community as best it can, then it can fight off the chains.  Amazon.com is another issue.  Amazon has changed the way people buy books. Customers who would ordinarily not patronize a chain, don’t think twice about buying from Amazon.   Independent bookstores need to figure out a way to get this business back.


What are some of the books you frequently recommended to customers?  What are some of your favorites?  

My all time favorite book, THE BROTHERS K, By David Duncan is a wonderful novel about a family, including three boys, who grow up in the Vietnam era, shaped by a passion for baseball.  I enjoy recommending books like Richard Russo’s EMPIRE FALLS, Michael Chabon’s AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY, John Kennedy Toole’s CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES, PILLARS OF THE EARTH by Ken Follett, and anything by John Irving.  Most of all, I like feeling out a customer’s interests and figuring out what book they might love.

You can see Gary's LitMinds profile here.