Comments on: Adobe Books In Danger of Closing

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:11:31 +0000

Adobe closing? Might as well close the Mission District — is there anything left?

So the new landlord will sit on the property and not rent it just like all the other empty Valencia storefronts there are…

By: suki

suki — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:34:31 +0000

“You’ll find it”. Yup. My point exactly. Adobe didn’t strike me as a bookstore that was interested in the “store” part. A store is where you purchase things. And if you’re smart, you help that process along by helping the customer buy things. Or not.

By: only10yearsinsf

only10yearsinsf — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:24:50 +0000

stewart, i’m not the boss here but what part of “mission Local welcomes comments, but we ask readers to keep discussion civil…” do you fail to comprehend?

your subsequent posts are similarly disrespectful. you very well may have a well-thought out position but the profanity and disrespectful tone of your posts makes it hard for anyone to hear you.

By: Newcomer

Newcomer — Sun, 13 May 2012 17:55:18 +0000

I’m glad that Adobe has such a rich history, but you can’t coast on that forever. You’ve got to bring in new blood, and as an outsider coming in for the first time, it felt like it was a pretty insular community of self-congratulating folk reassuring each other of how interesting and diverse they were. Basically, the artist’s equivalent of a hipster coffee shop filled with people starting at MacBooks.

By: Ed

Ed — Sun, 13 May 2012 08:07:59 +0000

I was always surprised that it didn’t focus more on art/music. That’s when it felt alive- as more of a hipster hangout for interesting art and music.

As a bookstore, the selection was poor. I remember that book installation well because when I needed a book for university I asked the girl working if she could help me and she said ‘You’ll find it’. I felt stupid, so I never went back for books. Yes, they have been there for years but that means they have also had plenty of time to prepare for this- remember the 90′s?

People need to dump their kindles and buy more books from them. (unlikely) Or perhaps it’s time for some of these famous artists to invest in Adobe to a greater extent in order to take it in a new direction. (??) Change is good. But one thing is for sure, you can’t blame ‘greed’forever. At some point you have to engage with the bigger picture, and that is that selling books in this manner is like trying to sell black and white Zeniths TV at Thift Town forever.

Business is a very creative field. It’s a pity because if this incredibly creative community would embrace the business side of things a little more as a whole, it would probably flourish.

By: Jon Fellman

Jon Fellman — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:53:11 +0000

The problem is not actually that simple Stewart. Its not just about managing business. The landlord raising the rent for the 2nd time in 6 months is just the latest thing that has been an assault against Adobe, and all used book stores, record stores, and the like. Adobe has actually weathered longer than most of the other longtime used bookstores in the bay area which have fallen prey to the lack of sales due to people buying on Amazon, Ebay, and ABE instead of leaving their homes to shop.
Because of the loyalty surrounding Adobe, and the charisma of Andrew McKinley it was surviving, even in these tougher times… until the doubled rent.

By: Jon Fellman

Jon Fellman — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:42:52 +0000

Um… the books by color was an art installation.

By: Jon Fellman

Jon Fellman — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:37:35 +0000

So are you saying you do know the details?
I know what I have heard from the owner of Adobe, but its looking like you stand to make money off this yourself the way you’re talking…

By: Jon Fellman

Jon Fellman — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:35:17 +0000

What is wrong with you. Can’t you see that the people commenting here have a personal relationship with this store, which has been here over 20 yrs? I have been going there since it opened and spend a lot of time their as a regular member of the community. This place is much more than just a book store, serving as a performance space, art gallery, salon, and community center. Plus the owner has been a important part of the community for ever.
I personally think that the creating a great community is more important making more money, and as I said the current owner inherited the property anyway.
If the owner were actually a part of the community, he would have a vested interest in seeing this vital space continue which is why I would love to see it turn into something like printed matter in NY.

By: Jon Fellman

Jon Fellman — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:26:27 +0000

keep talking, your digging yourself a nice deep hole.