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Uploaded: Friday, September 14, 2012, 7:01 AM
Updated: Wednesday, September 19, 2012, 6:27 AM
The Bookstore offers $1 deals as it closes its doors
Owner decides to become personal trainer
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by Dolores Fox Ciardelli
Pleasanton Weekly Staff
Photos
 
| The Bookstore on Hopyard Road at Valley is closing after 26 years, said owner Lisa Kelly, but she is excited about the new chapter opening in her life: She is becoming a personal trainer.
"I've always been into physical fitness and I'd started to do it on my days off," Kelly explained. She said she met some clients as they browsed the store's fitness section.
"I was ready for a change," Kelly added. "When you own a small business, you are there six to seven days a week."
She also said e-readers were affecting her sales plus the economy has slowed down. The Bookstore sold only used books, and employees carefully cleaned each volume, including airing out the pages.
"I felt it was a good time to leave," Kelly said, noting that her customers could find used books at Bay Books in San Ramon. "But that store was the love of my life, the decision did not come easily."
Kelly has worked as an executive assistant at B. Dalton Booksellers, and also was a reviewer of romance books for specialty magazines. When she moved to Pleasanton her sister brought her to The Bookstore and introduced her to the owner, Kim Jagger. Jagger had bought the store in 2002 from Stephanie Mackey, whose parents opened it in the 1980s.
"I love used book stores and I fell in love," Kelly recalled. "I was recovering from an injury, and I offered to volunteer if she would let me read the books."
Jagger sold the store to Kelly in 2007 but continued to work there.
"Both of us were always there," Kelly said, adding that she just made a few changes. "I painted and brought in gift items."
After making the difficult decision to close the store, Kelly said, she has been happy.
"Everyone assumes it's some doomsday thing," she said. "I say, 'I'm sorry you're sad but I'm so happy I don't know what to do with myself.'"
Once The Bookstore business is finished, Kelly, a former basketball player, is ready to launch her new business. She is focusing on women's health, including pre and post natal, and seniors, at all fitness levels.
To thank the community for its support of The Bookstore, Kelly is selling the remaining books for $1 each, Thursdays-Mondays through Sept. 30. She is also offering volumes free to school librarians during the last week of September; for an appointment, call 426-8255.
"It wasn't just me that had a legacy, the store has been there 26 years," Kelly said.
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Posted by Jonas, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Sep 14, 2012 at 9:14 am Just a nit, but The Bookstore has not been there for 26 years. At most, it has been there for 22 years. I know that 22 years ago, there was a bank in that location.
Any chance we can get a Chipotle to locate there? I currently have to drive too far (bad for the environment) to satisfy my Chipotle cravings.
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Posted by Chipolte, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Sep 14, 2012 at 9:24 am Hey Jonas, great idea. I keep begging for Chipotle too. I'd be picking up every other day.
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Posted by Mort, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Sep 14, 2012 at 9:46 am More chains?
Please, NO!
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Posted by Steve, a resident of the Stoneridge neighborhood, on Sep 14, 2012 at 10:05 am That's right, a chain might actually bring families downtown. We wouldn't want to duplicate the success of the Habit would we?
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Posted by Al, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Sep 14, 2012 at 12:44 pm To every person begging for a Chipotle, OPEN ONE!!! Get your money together and buy a chain. Take that resposibility on yourself. Its easy to whine and cry about not having one. Get off your tail and make it happen.
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Posted by Mort, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Sep 14, 2012 at 1:14 pm The Bookstore isn't located downtown. It's in the Gene's Shoppping Center.
If you're into these chains that re-heat frozen food, you have a plethora of options here in town. The only one missing is an Olive Garden.
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Posted by Tam, a resident of the Val Vista neighborhood, on Sep 14, 2012 at 6:49 pm Can I interject myself as the happy medium here in this disagreement & say that I would definitely prefer something that is not a chain. HOWEVER, if it has to be a chain then Chipotle is definitely one of the better ones. It does not offer low-quality re-heated food, but instead healthy, fresh food that we could all use more of. I do think that local non-chains in general are much better though. So I guess I'm saying: calm down, you're all correct to some degree in my opinion :) Bummer we're losing a small book store though.
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Posted by john, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Sep 14, 2012 at 10:49 pm My problem with Chipotle is that everything on the menu seems to be about 1000 calories (rough estimate).
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Posted by Hungry Howard, a resident of the Ponderosa neighborhood, on Sep 15, 2012 at 8:02 am Ah, don't you just love the way everyone laments the loss of a bookstore (well, not really) and then jumps to feeding their faces? I LOVE Pleasanton.
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Posted by Mike, a resident of the Highland Oaks neighborhood, on Sep 15, 2012 at 4:21 pm Like Carlin said, "Buying stuff they don't need. . . and E-A-T-I-N-G!"
Anyway, good luck in your new career, Lisa. Pleasanton has great potential as a fitness market.
Mike
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Posted by Jonas, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Sep 17, 2012 at 9:29 am Al,
For you information, it is very difficult for an individual to get a Chipotle franchise these days. They are primarily selling franchises to entities that want to open 10 or more units, at around a million dollars each, and you must have at least 10 years of restaurant management experience.
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Posted by me, a resident of the Stoneridge neighborhood, on Sep 17, 2012 at 11:13 am Let's keep everyone happy: Open a Chipotle there and give Lisa Kelly more business!
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Posted by Linda, a resident of the Country Fair neighborhood, on Sep 17, 2012 at 11:16 am Very sorry to see it close. I and my three children enjoyed shopping there. Could always find something unique for a school project. Great atmosphere in the store. Best wishes to Lisa in her new endeavor.
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Posted by Bakers Square and Lyons both closed, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Sep 17, 2012 at 12:01 pm While both were chains, the food and the service was good.
One thing I liked was that they were not too noisy,
might be because they were not crowded?
Or more likely, not a mexican restaurant with deliberately hard surfaces to maximize the noise? (They call that atmosphere? I call it sound pollution!)
We don't have too many "comfort food restaurants left.
Can anyone suggest some?
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Posted by Judy, a resident of the Pleasanton Valley neighborhood, on Sep 17, 2012 at 12:29 pm I'm so sad that she's closing up shop as I love that little bookstore. Too bad someone doesn't take it over and leave it as such. Best of luck, Lisa! You'll be missed.
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