MODESTO, Calif. — An iconic Modesto bookstore is writing it's last chapter in its history. Yesterday's Books on McHenry Avenue, the city's last independent bookstore, is closing after 42 years of selling used books.
"It's very sad," said longtime customer Marcia Swisegood.
She says she has come to the bookstore for over 25 years.
"We were not only able to return our books. It was like a lending bookstore," said Swisegood.
She says you could read a book, bring it back and get store credit.
The COVID pandemic made its mark on the book store and it was never able to turn the page.
"What went through my mind was just I can't believe this is happening who am I letting down," said owner Paula Kiss.
Kiss has owned the book store 15 years, but has worked here off and on for 32. She says she simply ran out of options.
"There are super loyal people who are here all the time, but primarily people are shopping online," said Kiss.
What makes the book store so special is the wide variety of used books, many of which readers can't find anywhere else.
Laura Bailey and Kate Borges are repeat customers and librarians for the Modesto Garden Club.
"We shop here all the time looking for good buys on garden books and we're really going to miss it," said Bailey.
When asked where would they go now, Borges said "Further out I guess."
18-year old Dancik Flores, an aspiring writer himself, is nostalgic about the store as it prepares to close this year.
"There's a section in the back where there used to be a little table, but it's not there any more with the grandfather clock. My mom would take me here and we would spend a long time in here looking at books and stuff," said Flores.
Unlike in the recent past, lines are long to buy books now. So if you want to check them out, you may want to hurry.
At its height, the store had a used inventory of over 100,000 used books of all kinds of genres.
The store employed nine employees before the pandemic and now only employs five.
Owner Paula Kiss says her next chapter in life is becoming a nurse.
The store is located at 3457 McHenry Avenue in Modesto.
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