Looking
Glass Bookstore
318
SW Taylor St.,
227-4760
In the early 1970s, Looking Glass Bookstore in downtown
Portland served as a center for Vietnam War protesters and
organic gardeners. Today, it stays on the literary cutting
edge thanks to Bill Kloster and Katie Radditz. Bill joined
the staff in 1973. Katie came on board a year later. The
couple decided to purchase the bookstore the same year.
Now, after 25 years of supporting the small press, hosting
countless poetry readings and building a loyal community
of customers, the couple has decided to sell.
As they prepare to pass Looking Glass Bookstore on to the
next generation, Bill and Katie discuss how an independent
bookstore weathers a war, a downtown mall and the consolidation
of the publishing world.
Willamette Week: What was Looking Glass like
when you started?
KATIE RADDITZ: It was, primarily, a political bookstore
which was opposed to the Vietnam War. It was in the basement
of the building which housed the U.S. Army's induction center.
The original people from Looking Glass would go up and cause
a ruckus; they were some kids from the University of Oregon.
Before they had the bookstore, they went in and arrested
their draft board. Well, actually, I'm not always sure about
this story.
Was it primarily a retail outlet or a protest center?
BILL KLOSTER: It also sold a lot of wholesale books. We
sold a lot of magazines and underground art. At that time,
bookstores could only get mass-market books from a distributor.
You would say, 'I need 50 mass-market books,' and they would
make a selection for you. There was a whole new publishing
world coming out of the '60s and early '70s. They were books
that weren't acceptable for distribution, and these were
the kind of books we sold. It was a center of hip culture.
What were some of the big changes in the store's history?
KATIE: One of the first big changes was the chains. B.
Dalton and WaldenBooks came in the mid-'70s. When they opened
there was this giant worry that, 'Oh, this is going to kill
independent bookstores.' But what it actually did was put
an end to the real conservative bookstores that came out
of the '50s. It hurt J.K. Gill and [the book department
of] Meier & Frank. It really put them out of business.
Then there was even more of a desire for a store like ours,
not just all the same corporate, cookie-cutter stores with
the same inventory.
The other big change was when we had to move, when Pioneer
Place came. All these businesses had to move. I think out
of 42 stores, four survived.
Why did Looking Glass survive?
KATIE: Our landlords are half a block away, and they have
their business in this half-block too. They wanted this
half-block to be strong, and they knew us. They wanted us
to be here with them. So they've been very fair-minded toward
us. It's a really important part of us doing well here.
Five years ago, there were eight independent bookstores
in the Portland downtown. How did you coexist?
BILL: Well, we all really got along very well and supported
each other. If we didn't have a book, we'd call the other
stores and see if they had it. When they left, it was like
losing our community.
KATIE: We really lost our colleagues. We had a lot of camaraderie.
Why are independent stores suffering now? What happened
to those other bookstores?
BILL: It's the rise of the corporate culture. It's the
rise of Home Base. It's the rise of all these well-advertised,
well-financed enterprises.
Given all that, why is Looking Glass thriving?
BILL: The main reason is, we're not presenting ourselves
or marketing ourselves the same way that the corporate culture
does. And I think we offer services that aren't available
at the corporations. At our store, someone can walk in and
want a book and we can just turn around and call the publisher
while they're here. As soon as customers realized that,
they would just come here to order their books.
What's changing in books today?
KATIE: Really, the biggest change that has been going on
lately is with publishers. Especially with what they have
to offer, how they present their books. It used to be, in
catalogs, the first couple of books would be real strong
literary-type books. And now what they present in the front
are the books that are connected with the entertainment
industry. There still are the great books in the catalog,
they're just buried.
BILL: I would say half the publishing that is done now
is in the hands of three companies. And all these companies
are outside the United States. And these companies also
own newspapers and TV networks and the whole entertainment
gamut. And books are a very small part of the entertainment
picture, but they're used as part of the promotion or advertising.
Are people more interested in preserving independent
bookstores than they used to be? Has it become the politically
correct way to purchase books?
BILL: I don't think it's a question of political correctness.
I think a bookstore survives or fails not because people
feel they should shop there, but because they want to.
What is it like being an independent bookstore in the
same city as one of the biggest bookstores in the country?
BILL: Well, you know, Powell's is a huge bookstore. They
probably sell 50 times or more the books that we sell. And
I think Michael Powell has gone out of his way to support
other independent bookstores. At the same time, given its
size, it lacks a lot of the personal services and attention
that an independent bookstore can provide.
KATIE: In some ways, it's been hard to know how to adjust,
but really, we work together. I mean, we call each other
often and exchange books. And if there's an author who's
going to be in town at Powell's at night, often that author
will come here during the day.
Why are you selling the bookstore?
KATIE: It's time to make a change. I've always wanted to
teach, even though I always wanted to have the bookstore,
too. So it's time to make that change. Also, it's gotten
to a point where the bookstore is very stable. The bookstore
is very strong right now.
BILL: We feel that we've really weathered the storm over
the last five years. There was just so much uncertainty.
But we feel now that that's behind us.
What are your hopes for the bookstore's future?
KATIE: We really hope to sell the bookstore to someone
locally, to someone who understands that there is this huge
need to be connected to the community and all the literary
groups that are in that community.
Do you think you'll read a lot more or less when you
leave?
BILL: I'll read five times more. I dream of reading more.
I think a lot of people would assume that you read every
second.
BILL: It's ironic. We live in a time when books are readily
available and affordable, but we just don't have time to
read them. It's great too, though, because even given the
glamorization of books--the Hollywood books, the advertising
for books--still, really exceptional books are being published.
KATIE: One of the really great things about the bookstore
is it's one of the last places where people can truly browse.
You know, sometimes at clothing stores people feel like
they have to buy something. Or any other kind of store,
really. Here you can just come in and read.
BILL: We've had people who have come in here and put their
bookmark in. I had one guy come up years ago and say, 'What
happened to that book?' And I said, 'Well, I probably sold
it.' And he looked up on the shelf and said, 'But I hadn't
finished it!' We've also had people ask if they could spend
the night in the store when it's time to close, so they
can finish their book.
Does that bother you?
BILL: Not, not at all. We certainly didn't do it, but I
think it's great.
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Willamette Week | originally
published April 19,
2000
|
