Copperfield’s Books flagship Sebastopol store sent out an SOS last week, announcing the potential sale of the building it leases at 138 N. Main St. could jeopardize its ability to operate at that location.
According to bookstore management, its current lease arrangement has allowed the independent bookstore to remain viable in a challenging environment for brick-and-mortar retail shops. The business absorbed a 10% rent increase this year and “a new building owner could dramatically compound this situation by either terminating the lease or raising the rent to a level that would not be sustainable.”
Copperfield’s was launched in Sebastopol by co-owners Paul Jaffe and Barney Brown in 1981…