Steph C.
Yelp
Larchmont is one of the few streets in L.A. that just wouldn't make sense without its own independent bookstore. This is not to say I don't think every street would be improved by an independent bookstore, but Larchmont is uniquely small and lovely and villagey. It would be greatly lessened if it were to lose Chevalier's.
By all accounts, this almost happened--the bookstore has been around for ages, but until it was bought out late last year, the place was under water. Publishers refused to even ship books because of all the outstanding debt, and Larchmont almost lost one of its flagship businesses. Now, the bookstore seems to be flourishing under its new ownership.
Full disclosure, I guess. One of the owners, Darryl H., reached out to me a couple months ago. He invited me to his store then bought me a cup of coffee. He did so because he is one of my dozen or so fans (and here I'm talking about my fiction, not my Yelp reviews), and he wanted to meet me, show me the store, and invite me to do a reading. Not, I assume, because he was desperate for another 5-star Yelp review. Darryl, by the way, is an extremely interesting guy: retired professor turned downtown auto magnate/musician, now running a bookstore on the side. (Here's L.A. Times coverage of his album, which dropped last month: www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-woody-guthrie-los-angeles-darryl-holter-radio-songs-20150301-htmlstory.html.)
The store looks beautiful. It feels both cozy and comfortably spacious, with books everywhere you look. The fiction selection is excellent, and there's a robust genre section. Staff picks make shopping easier and lend the store that personal indie bookstore touch. Everyone I interacted with was very warm and forthcoming, too. I'm sure they're all full of recommendations.
Chevalier's also does a lot of events now, something that wasn't true a year ago. The day after I visited, Kelly Link was doing a signing. The Los Angeles Review of Books is holding a bookish brunch here this Sunday, and I'll be reading from my new book sometime in late summer/early fall. Obviously, as an author, I love a bookstore that hosts good events, but a spot like Chevalier's is a real boon for readers, too. Independent bookstores act as vibrant community hubs, and the places we live are better for having them.
I bought three books while I was there, adding to my never-shrinking to-be-read pile, none of which comes from Amazon. I'm a big fan of Chevalier's, and would like to see it in business as long as Larchmont is Larchmont.