Fill out those Comment Cards!

My heart sank as I walked up, the sign said ‘Warwick’s, Books, Gifts, Office Supply, Stationery,’ I thought the store would be a few paperback books, copier paper and tacky La Jolla postcards.  My husband and I drove to La Jolla Cove mostly for memories sake, we both attended UCSD and spent the first four years of our relationship in La Jolla.  I thought about skipping the store, but since we found parking I decided to walk in, bracing myself for disappointment.  The beauty of low expectations is how great you feel when they are far surpassed.  Warwick’s is wonderful.  

W.T. Warwick started bookselling in Mankato, MN and bought Redding’s Book Store in La Jolla in 1939, renaming it Warwick’s somewhere over the years.  His son took over the business in 1950 and the third generation started running the business in 1964.  One of the clerks told me that the fourth generation of Warwicks is involved with the store.  The stock harkens back to a time when reading and writing went hand in hand, yet with an updated feel.  Throughout it’s history, Warwick’s has had a similar combination of products:  excellent stationery (we bought air mail stationery with Nancy Drew illustrations), quality pens (my husband, a fervent pen collector, noted the ones he liked and the fact that they will be 20% off after Thanksgiving Day) and half of the store was books.  Only 12 La Jolla postcards.

I poked around the recommendation section intrigued by the entire freestanding bookshelf of recommendations of mass paperbacks.  I’ve never encountered that before, usually recommendations are limited to “high brow” fiction.  I picked up The Eight by Katherine Neville, a historical thriller published in 1988 that takes place in 1972 New York City and 1790 France, the connecting device is an ancient chess set (no knowledge of chess needed to enjoy the book).  This is a book to shut out the world.  (Confession, Warwick’s had the book in a mass paperback form and the wider page ‘literature’ format, I bought the literature format.)

I encountered my most impressive recommendation to date.  On top of one of the several recommendation bookshelves was Darkmans by Nicola Barker with a note that the author dedicated the book to Scott Ehrig-Burgess, an employee of Warwick’s.  The dedication reads “for Scott Ehrig-Burgess in Del Mar, who filled out that comment card.”  The bookstore note stated that Scott guaranteed that the buyer would like the book, if not, then he would refund your money.  Scott wasn’t working the day I visited, but I asked for the story behind the dedication–what is the relationship between Scott and Ms. Barker and what comment card?  Apparently, Scott received an advance copy of the book and sent a comment card to the author with suggestions for revisions.  They have never met.  I would love to know what the comment card said because I send witty, kind, supportive e-mails to Claire every day and I have yet to get a shout out in any of her books.  Darkmans was short listed for the 2007 Man Booker Prize, the prize that I happen to most respect, and, to quote the back, “is an epic novel of startling originality–a story of invasion, obsession, possession, art, prescription drugs and chiropody.”  I have no idea what chiropody is, but I’m going to read the book just to figure it out.  The employee I talked with said he was enjoying Darkmans because it’s written how he thinks, in tangents.  The author introduces a character, then gives the history of the character and then moves on with the story.

One of the reasons I’m passionate about independent bookstores is that they not only contribute to their community, but they create community.  Bookstores are a gathering place for the exchange of ideas and knowledge.  Warwick’s impressively fulfills this role.  In addition to constant author readings and visits, Warwick’s began the ‘Year of Giving’ last October.  Warwick’s pledged to give 1% of its total sales to a different charitable organization each month, alternating between domestic and international organizations.

Warwick’s has a ‘Books for Schools,’ program whereby every time a children’s author visits, Warwick’s notifies the school and the school arranges for their parents to pre-order the books which will be waiting for them at the event ready for the author to sign.  The school receives a store credit equal to 20% of the sale proceeds. It’s their attempt to help stock the school library and classrooms with good books.

Warwick’s supports the local book groups in several ways, when I was there I noticed stacks of book group guides for a wide range of books, from McEwan to Binchy novels.   Each year the store holds a Reading Group Night when several employees recommend books for the next year’s meetings and point out that ”extra special life-changing book that has eluded them for all time.”  Nothing like setting the bar high.  Additionally, registered books groups receive 20% off their choices.

As I was paying for our stack of purchases, I asked how the store was doing.  The employees said it’s hard, but the community strongly supports the store.  Just as generations of the Warwicks have served the La Jolla community; generations of residents have shopped there.

Warwick’s

7812 Girard Avenue

La Jolla, CA 92037

Tel:  619.454.0347

Fax:  619.454.9325