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Midnight Special Bookstore

Coordinates: 34°00′49″N 118°29′46″W / 34.0136°N 118.4962°W / 34.0136; -118.4962
From Alfawiki
The Midnight Special Bookstore
Company typeIndependent bookstore
IndustryRetail (Books)
Founded1970
Defunct2004
FateClosed
Headquarters
Santa Monica, California
,
United States
Area served
Southern California
ProductsBooks, Literature

Overview

The Midnight Special Bookstore operated as an independent bookseller located in Southern California, primarily serving a progressive and left-leaning audience.[1][2] The store specialized in literature and hosted events centered around significant sociopolitical topics, including the civil rights movement in America, the Vietnam War,[3] the conflict between Israel and Palestine,[4] the Chinese democracy movement,[5] as well as U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq.[6]

History

Established in 1970 as a co-op located in Venice,[1] the bookstore was largely managed by volunteers until approximately 1985.[3]

In 1980,[3] the store relocated from Venice to 1350 Third Street [7] (also referred to as 1350 Santa Monica Mall[8]) in Santa Monica. It then shifted once more in 1992[3] to 1318 Third Street Promenade.[9][10] For over a decade, the mall’s landlord offered the bookstore rent rates below those charged to other tenants,[11] but after management changes and an influx of high-end tenants, the mall operator demanded a rent hike that would "more than double"[12] the previous amount. Consequently, the bookstore vacated its Third Street premises in March 2003.[2] Its inventory was stored for eight months. In November 2003,[6][13][14] the establishment reopened at 1450 Second Street[15][16][17] in Santa Monica, before ultimately closing around June 2, 2004.[18] The owner attributed the closure to declining sales and ongoing financial struggles:

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Notable authors who visited the bookstore include:

Other distinguished visitors included filmmakers Robert Greenwald[22] and Oliver Stone,[3] actor David Warshofsky,[22] activist Elaine Brown of the Black Panther Party, professor Khaled Abou El Fadl from UCLA, as well as musicians such as Dave Marsh, Jello Biafra, Frank Zappa[3] and Ray Manzarek.[25]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  5. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  8. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  10. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  11. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  12. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Tawa
  13. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  14. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  15. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  16. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  17. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  18. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named 20040507_email
  19. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  20. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  21. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  23. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  24. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  25. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

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