Modern high-tech naysayers have predicted for decades that printed books will become obsolete. Yet, they still sell by the millions. And, in a small enclave, two hours northwest of Los Angeles, a unique bookshop has thrived for six decades. Loomed over by the Topatopa Mountains and surrounded by orange, lemon, and olive groves is Ojai, California (pronounced oh-hi)—population around 8,000—a town that boasts the largest open-air bookshop in the world.
Though Bart’s Books has been featured in notable publications, newspapers, and documentaries, its presence is unassuming on the quiet, quaint streets of Ojai. Park on the side of one of the main streets, and there it is: a modest, flat-metal-roof brick building with a courtyard and countless bookcases. With a few palm trees emerging from an open spot in the courtyard and plenty of healthy, mature plants growing around the structure, Bart’s Books has been a fixture at West Matilija Street for generations.
Plants grow wild around the idyllic environment of Bart's Books. Sarahmirk/CC BY-SA 4.0
It’s been there since 1964, when avid readers Richard “Bart” Bartindale and his wife Rachel accumulated so many books that he constructed bookcases and secured them along the sidewalk outside of his simple ranch-style home. The goal was to create a Parisian-like, open-air shop for secondhand books in the style of “bouquinistes” common along the banks of the Seine River in France. Gradually, the couple’s book collection expanded into their courtyard and under metal overhangs around the outside of their home.
The couple first lived in the home while passersby could peruse books and pay by leaving money in nearby coffee cans. The Bartindales coexisted with their bookstore for about four years. However, when they decided they wanted to travel, they sold their home-bookstore hybrid and it has changed hands a few different times over the last 60 years. Each owner has kept the Bartindales’ tradition of selling mostly used (about 90 percent) as well as some new books, but the nearly 120,000 books have overtaken both the indoor and outdoor spaces of the one-story home. Bart’s Books is no longer residential space, but a full-fledged retail bookstore.
Bookshelves line the sidewalk on both sides of the main “door” leading into Bart’s courtyard space. Even after the store’s 6 p.m. closing time, anyone can purchase one of the 50-cent sidewalk books via the honor system. Instead of the tin can money holder of the past, patrons simply drop cash into a slot in the door. In fact, the hand-lettered sign on ornately carved wood panels affixed near the door reads: “When closed, please throw coins in the door for the amount marked on the book. Thank you.”
The hand-painted signage at Bart's Books gives the store an old-world feel. Dreamyshade/CC BY-SA 2.0
According to the current manager Matt Henricksen, visitors from as far away as Japan have stumbled upon Bart’s Books.
One common question posed to employees is: “Why do the books not get wet?” The general answer is that the area’s rainfall is only around 17 inches annually, compared to 39 inches nationwide, and storms are rare. Thus, rain falls down directly and slowly and books are seldom affected because they are under awnings and eaves.
Overhangs and awnings protect the books at Bart's Books from getting wet in occasional rainstorms. Dreamyshade/CC BY-SA 3.0
Visiting the bookstore requires time, as it is definitely a browsing experience. Part of the enjoyment is meandering from bookshelf to bookshelf to discover familiar and unfamiliar titles and old and new books. Titles are arranged in more than 20 categories on shelves under the semi-covered and pergola-covered patios and in rooms once relegated as living spaces. The former kitchen space appropriately houses cookbooks, while poetry books are organized in the home’s prior living room.
The ambiance is simple yet eclectic. Old typewriters, framed historic book pages, painted rocks, and potted plants decorate the indoor and outdoor spaces otherwise cluttered with books. Comfortable but worn chairs and benches encourage visitors to take time to flip through the pages of whatever catches their eyes. Rest assured, Bart’s has everything from imposing art books to hefty history volumes to slight paperbacks.
Many of the original bookshelves are still in use, while some have been repaired and refurbished over the last 60 years. But for the most part, not much has changed about Bart’s Books in Ojai—and that’s exactly what people encounter when they visit there.
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