No, not Dutton's!

Why does no one love independent bookstores anymore? Wait, that's not really all that accurate. I think the love is there, but apparently not the money. Or not enough money.

Today's LA Times reports that the Brentwood Dutton's may be in danger. Property owner Charles T. Munger, of Munger, Tolles & Olson, wants to develop:

"It's the ultimate redevelopment site," Munger said, adding, "We've always been straight with Doug and told him the property would be developed in due course. The more time goes by, the closer we are to due course."

Hmph. Munger claims he wants to keep Dutton's in the new site, or at the very least an independent bookstore, but how would it be the same without the meandering buildings and the crammed coziness, particularly in the fiction section?

Or, as the Times puts it:

Arguably Los Angeles' signature independent bookshop, the store is a beacon for both prominent authors and passionate readers. A move would indelibly alter the store's identity, many feel. Dutton's, with its irregular layout, ripped carpet and books overflowing their shelves onto old flagstone floors, is considered by many to be not just a city institution but one of the nation's great idiosyncratic bookstores.

And author Carolyn See refers to the store as a "secular church."

I'm hoping that this article is largely a way to drum up outrage and prevent/put off redevelopment plans. But the larger trend away from indie bookstores is clear. And I too have been guilty of turning to Borders or B&N for my book fix.

But I challenge myself, and all of you, to go indie again. Support your local bookseller. My goal: a book a month.