Printers Inc. Bookstore

Printers Inc. Bookstore

File:Printers Inc. logo.gif
Company type	Private subsidiary
Founded	1978
Founder	Jerry Shurtleff (co-founder)
Defunct	2001
Fate	Out of Business
Headquarters	310 California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 301 Castro Street, Mountain View, CA
Number of locations	2
Area served	Palo Alto, Stanford, Mountain View, Menlo Park, California, United States
Key people	Susan MacDonald and Gerry Masteller (until 1999) Matthew Duran (until 2001)
Products	Books Magazines
Website	pibooks.com (Historic)

Printers Inc. Bookstore operated from 1978 until its closure in 2001 as an independent bookseller with locations in both Palo Alto and Mountain View, California. This bookstore is notably mentioned in sonnets 8.13–8.16 of Vikram Seth's 1986 novel, The Golden Gate.

History

Established in 1978 by five former employees of Kepler's Books, including Jeffrey Shurtleff and Anne Leathers, Printers Inc. Bookstore initially occupied a space that had previously been a thrift store at 310 California Avenue in Palo Alto. A second branch was later opened at 301 Castro Street in Mountain View. The bookstore became a favored spot among students from Stanford University.

Originally, the Palo Alto location housed The Printers Inc. Cafe, which shared the same premises before relocating to an adjacent building to expand its coffee service. American author Frances Mayes recounts this pioneering concept in her 2006 memoir, A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveller, highlighting that the integration of a coffee bar within a bookstore was groundbreaking at the time—predating widespread espresso culture in the United States.

During the early 1990s, large retail chains such as Borders and Barnes & Noble entered the market, creating significant competition for independent bookstores like Printers Inc. The emergence of online retailers including Amazon.com further impacted their business operations.

In December 1998, facing these challenges, Printers Inc. announced plans to close. Despite community opposition and efforts by the owners to find new partners, the store ceased operations temporarily. However, under new management, the bookstore reopened in March 1999 and continued until its permanent closure in 2001. Meanwhile, The Printers Inc. Cafe remained open under separate ownership.

Following the final shutdown of Printers Inc. Bookstore, the Mountain View location was taken over by Books Inc., marking the end of an era for this local independent bookseller.

Documentary

The 2006 film Indies Under Fire explores the experiences of Printers Inc. alongside other independent bookstores navigating challenges posed by the emerging economy.

Photographs

• Image of Printers Inc. Bookstore located in Palo Alto
• Collection of Printers Inc. Bookstore photographs – Palo Alto Historical Association
• Interior photographs of Printers Inc. Bookstore

See also

• Cody's Books
• Kepler's Books

External links

• "Local artist paints history in mural" – The Stanford Daily, October 2, 1979.
• "DIVERSIONS: Browsing through . . ." – The Stanford Daily, August 13, 1982.
• "For Book Lovers Only" – The Stanford Daily, September 22, 1983.
• "Tomes and Texts To Buy or Browse" – The Stanford Daily, September 23, 1985.
• "Local Bookstores" – The Stanford Daily, January 1, 1986.