After construction delays put off the opening by a couple months, BookBuyers, one of the Bay Area’s largest and oldest independent used bookstores is now open in downtown Gilroy.
“People are so excited to have a bookstore in downtown again,” said Connie Drosdat, a Gilroy resident and one of more than a dozen volunteers who have helped BookBuyers open its doors at 7541 Monterey St, the former Dick Bruhn building.
The last bookshop in downtown Gilroy was Garlic City Books at 7490 Monterey St, now Amoretto Boutique. It closed in 2011.
“It feels like home, and it’s big,” said Lisa Griffin, a Mountain View resident and former patron of the bookstore when it was part of that city’s vibrant Castro Street for 23 years.
After driving around the Peninsula—even stopping in Half Moon Bay—for a suitable bookseller and finding no one that had what she needed, she decided to visit Gilroy.
“Most of the used bookstores around Mountain View are really small and the variety is not there, and most don’t sell or trade graphic novels,” said Griffin.
While just a third of the bookshops 300,000 titles are currently on the shelves, it was the work of Gilroy’s volunteers that helped make it happen.
“I’m so happy with the turnout from all the volunteers that have been helping us,” said Punita Ajaya, who co-owns the shop with her husband, Hotranatha. The booksellers had to close their Mountain View shop earlier this year because of rising rents and the prospect of a citywide $15 minimum wage increase. Many of the coffee shops and bookstores, like BookBuyers, which used to stay open late as part of the bustling Castro Street nightlife, have been replaced with a selection of high-end restaurants.
But Mountain View’s loss is Gilroy’s gain, and the enthusiasm is palpable among city residents. Over the last couple months, dozens have volunteered hours unpacking boxes, setting up shelves and stacking books.
“We’ve got an enormous amount of books to get out,” said Hotranatha Ajaya.
The shop currently has fully stocked literature, psychology, and arts—including the performing arts and multimedia—sections. Most of history is up and there are some shelves of mass-market paperbacks, a portion of the 500 boxes still in storage, he said.
“It’s what’s been missing downtown,” said Sheila Smith, whose daughter Abigail suggested they help out the Ajayas, the shop’s only staff, after meeting the soft-spoken couple at an earlier downtown event.
“It’s a nice place to go,” continued Smith. “It’s not a restaurant or a bar so no one is rushing you. You can just go and take your time browsing—two minutes or two hours.”
And it’s not just Gilroyans who have stepped up to support downtown’s latest addition, but BookBuyers loyal patrons from the Peninsula and north county.
“We are very excited about their new location and have come to volunteer so they can open faster,” said Gayle Ng, who drove from San Jose with her husband Charlie to help out. “They are nice people that inspire a lot of loyalty.”
At last count, 223 people contributed just over $15,000 to a Gofundme campaign to help cover BookBuyers’ moving costs. The Ajayas have also gone through $75,000 of their own savings.
“There is so much potential here. Once it gets finished there will be lots for people to do,” said volunteer George Vanecek.
A clean, well-lighted place for reading, browsing and exploring new ideas is just one of the uses for the 6,500-square-foot bookstore.
The Ajayas envision a community space, intergenerational and welcoming to all.
Hotranatha Ajaya talked about hosting family reading time, author talks, open mics for new, unpublished authors, math meet-ups for kids and the adults who have to help them with their homework—an assortment of events for the entire family.
“There will be the whole family,” said Hotranatha Ajaya. “I just really love that idea. Family, community—it’s good stuff.”
BookBuyers is located at 7541 Monterey St, Gilroy. It’s open six days a week, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and closed Tuesday.
