Liberia Martinez

 

Robert Lachman / Los Angeles Times 

Rueben Martinez, owner of Libreria Martinez Books and Art Gallery in Santa Ana, might have to close his shop by year’s end despite the store’s renown as one of the nation’s largest Latino-themed bookstores.“I knew I was never going to get rich selling books,” Martinez says. “But the crowds are not what they used to be.”

Ruebén Martinez’s Libreria Martinez has become a cultural focal point in Santa Ana and a magnet for famous authors. But dwindling customers and landlord pressure may put him out of business.

When Ruebén Martinez set up his bookshop in an old Santa Ana furniture store a decade ago, he bargained the landlord down to half-price rent, saying he sold books, not diamonds. 

But despite its renown as one of the nation’s largest Latino-themed bookstores, Librería Martinez, owned by the barber-turned-MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” winner, may be forced to close by year’s end.

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Sales are down 50% from a year ago and bills are piling up. A new landlord, the Orange County High School of the Arts, which wants to use the store for classrooms, has given Martinez a year to find a new location.

“I knew I was never going to get rich selling books,” Martinez said. “But the crowds are not what they used to be.”

The store that began as a shelf in Martinez’s barbershop in 1993 has grown into a local institution with an international draw, bringing in hundreds of authors, such as literary giants Isabel Allende, Julia Alvarez and Carlos Fuentes and high-profile speakers, including Nobel Peace Prize-winning Costa Rica President Oscar Arias.

Anchored by Martinez’s mission — to get people of all ages to read, in English or Spanish — the store has prospered as a community center, holding English and music classes, and where residents can attend a poetry reading or pick up a book or magazine.

A sign outside commands “¡Todos a Leer!” – Let’s Read, Everyone!

They may be reading, but lately they’re not buying enough.

Martinez’s troubles mirror those familiar to nearly every independent bookshop: rising rent, fewer people buying books, and competition from online and big-box retailers that can offer discounts.

The Brentwood literary landmark Dutton’s closed last month. Another Latino bookstore, Tia Chucha’s in the San Fernando Valley, last year had to move after the landlord tripled the rent and replaced it with a laundromat.

“We don’t have bookstores in most neighborhoods in the L.A. area,” said owner Luis Rodriguez. “Everybody talks about how literacy is so important, so there’s got to be ways to help with rent subsidies.”