Comments on: We miss Dutton’s

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 00:20:28 +0000

When my daughter was still in preschool and spending almost every afternoon at Brentwood’s Kauffman Library, going to Dutton’s, the “other library down the street,” was always a special treat. She didn’t realize those books were for sale–that’s how generous the Dutton’s staff was. They would suggest books, and let her paw (literally!) through them for as long as I browsed the cookbooks at the other end of the store. The only thing that changed as she got older was a fascination with the man in the “grownup side” who “knew everything about every book ever written”…and a strict budget every time we went near the store!

By: joannemallen

joannemallen — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:52:01 +0000

Although I live 100+ miles west of Brentwood, Dutton’s was still my favorite bookstore. I never asked for a book they didn’t have or had never heard of…….and most of the time without the help of the computer.

The Dutton book clubs were invigorating, especially Doug’s on Classical Music. Most memorable was a balmy, summer night listening to Kahaled Hosseini reading from and talking about his new book “A Thousand Splendid Suns.” The courtyard was packed with 200+ people, sitting in too few chairs, on the second floor with their feet hanging over the edge and on both staircases to that floor. Except for the far away street traffic, you could hear a pin drop.

Thank you Doug for an unforgettable contribution to my life’s experiences.

By: morebookslesstv

morebookslesstv — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:14:57 +0000

Recently I built a new house in an established neighborhood in the Pacific Palisades. The propery had prevously housed a 1,000 square foot, 1-story home that was built by the late husband of the 94 year old woman next door.

Due of construction logistics, design limitations and current structural requirements, saving existing buildings too often does not makes sense.

When I told my elderly neighbor of my plans to build a new 2-story home, she sadly resigned to the attitude of “that’s progress.” Wow…despite my capitalist nature, I felt like a real heel!

The fate of Dutton’s reminds me of the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan where Tom Hanks’ family, owner of a mega-bookstore chain, was responsible for the demise of Meg Ryan’s boutique children’s bookstore…one that she inherited from her mother.

Call it liaise fair or survival of the fittest, but it’s a sad part of reality that comes with living in a free market society.

Now…if a entrepreneur would like to buy the Dutton’s name, get away from the bricks and mortar format and either be a sideway newstand with coffee or better yet…the boutique amazon.com, who knows…maybe Dutton’s will see an after life.

By: Kim

Kim — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:15:05 +0000

I received this e-mail from the fabulous Barbara Abercrombie:

I miss Dutton’s because they really, truly loved writers. It felt like family in the best possible sense when you published a book and gave readings and parties in the courtyard. The staff read your books! (Thank you, Diane.) The staff and Doug read the books they sold – what a concept!

- Barbara Abercrombie
http://www.WritingTime.net

By: deecooper

deecooper — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 03:18:53 +0000

I first discovered Dutton’s when I started my new job as a pastor at a nearby church. I was told by many this is th eplace you will love! Surrounded by amazing restaurants, stores, and interesting sites to see in this nook of LA, they were correct. I would go and sit and drink coffee and read. It was an amazing place to get lost in a book or in the stacks looking for a book. Books that I was told were out of print, a wonderful person could put their finger on somewhere. It truly is a loss for Brentwood, for that San Vicente neighborhood, for Los Angeles as this was a gem of a place.

By: lboat

lboat — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:33:28 +0000

I have made a point of looking the other way (while still watching the road, of course) as I drive by what used to be Dutton’s. Somehow, given the amazing assortment of books they had, the fabulous staff, support from the community and the incredible knowledge of Doug Dutton himself, that they would survive. I had heard rumors on and off for a long time that it would close and refused to believe it until the end really came. Surely not Dutton’s?

I live in the Valley and came over the hill just to shop at Dutton’s. Over the years Dutton’s has provided me with incredible recommendations for our entire family as well as a sense of being further plugged into the Los Angeles literary world. Their closure has made me sad in that “chapter closing in your life” sort of way. As if things will just never be quite the same.