Posted on 02/02/2015 11:58:58 PM PST by csvset
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Independent bookstores have faced tough times for quite a while. In San Francisco, neighborhood businesses have been passionately protected, so it's hard to believe that an initiative passed by voters to raise the minimum wage is driving a Mission District bookstore out of business.
San Francisco's minimum wage is currently $11.05 an hour. By July of 2018, the minimum wage in San Francisco will be $15 an hour. That increase is forcing Borderlands Bookstore to write its last chapter now.
When actor Scott Cox took a job at Borderlands Books he didn't do it for the money.
"I've been a longtime customer of the store," he said. "I love the people, I love the books."
The work let him squeak by while nourishing his passion for sci-fi and fantasy.
"Everyone who works here does this because they love books, they love stories, and they love being booksellers," said book store owner Alan Beatts.
That's why store owner Beatts found it so tough to post a sign in the front window that the store is closing. "We're going to be closing by the end of March," he said.
Borderlands was turning a small profit, about $3,000 last year. Then voters approved a hike in the minimum wage, a gradual rise from $10.75 up to $15 an hour.
"And by 2018 we'll be losing about $25,000 a year," he said.
It's an unexpected plot twist for loyal customers.
"You know, I voted for the measure as well, the minimum wage measure," customer Edward Vallecillo said. "It's not something that I thought would affect certain specific small businesses. I feel sad."
Though it's caught a lot of people off guard, one group that wasn't completely surprised was the Board of Supervisors. In fact, they say they debated this very topic before sending the minimum wage to the voters.
"I know that bookstores are in a tough position, and this did come up in the discussions on minimum wage," San Francisco supervisor Scott Wiener said.
Wiener knows a lot of merchants will pass the wage increases on to their customers, but not bookstores.
"I can't increase the prices of my products because books, unlike many other things, have a price printed on them,"
Wiener says it's the will of the voters. Seventy-seven percent of them voted for this latest wage hike.
"Borderlands Books is an phenomenal bookstore, I was just in it yesterday," Wiener said. "I hope they don't close. It's an amazing resource."
But Alan Beatts said he can't see a way to avoid it.
Amazon and Kindle. Us old folks with our Kindles are making books obsolete.
It’s going to hit more than just bookstores. I wonder if empty shelves in Venezuela ever entered this idiots mind or starvation in Zimbabwe. Two other places that once were relatively prosperous compared to their current predicament.
Bookstores are not well known for fabulous profit margins in the first place. It doesn't take much to kill one, and the industry is just barely hanging on. Probably the store should re-cast itself as something other than a bookseller. But running a small business in San Francisco is a special kind of hell anyway, so why not provide a lesson for the ignorant as a final service?
Actually I wonder if the Borderlands owner is aware of what happened to the Kepler's bookstore in Menlo Park? Wealthy people in the local community crowd-fund it to keep it open. It's like a freaking church of the literary, except of course they're all communists. Considering how wealthy the neighborhood up-hill from the bookstore is, I bet Borderlands could do the same...
That’s OK San Francisco can then raise then minimum wage to $25/hr.
Raising the minimum wage didn’t cause the bookstore to go out of business, it was global warming.
“I can’t increase the prices of my products because books, unlike many other things, have a price printed on them,”
This sounds like they were selling their books at list price. Most book stores discount their books.
Only hard to believe if you live in San Francisco. Anyplace else, it would be a no-brainer.
The left doesn’t care. In their “mind” businesses exploit their workers and deserve this.
He may be ignorant but he feels sad...And in liberalism that’s the most important thing...... your feelings!
Independent bookstores fail for a number of reasons, I would imagine. Too many esoteric books and the usually unbelievable arrogance of the minimum wage workers. If I get any nonsense from an intellectual giant working in the Tarot Card section, I boycott the store.
There's the rub right there.
He didn't think. And still doesn't.
“It’s an unexpected plot twist for loyal customers”
Who are all gullible idiots.
Yeah, Eddie, it's always sad to realize you're a dumbazz, isn't it.
“You know, I voted for the measure as well, the minimum wage measure,” customer Edward Vallecillo said. “It’s not something that I thought would affect certain specific small businesses. I feel sad.”
Yet he will never feel like the moron he actually is. He’ll never recognize the stupidity. This bullet-proof self satisfaction is truly amazing.
The definition of Low Information Voter.
Very precarious position with only $3000 in profits a year. If it was not minimum wage increase it could have been 100 other things.
The point is i dont like political BS no matter what side of an issue.
Easily solved. You just have the city pay the bookstore to stay in business and increase taxes to cover it. The Rich need to pay their fair share. Occupy the bookstore! Pound some drums!! OCCUPY THE BOOKSTORE!!!
Perhaps the bookstore manager could write the mayor and get an exemption?
Time to raise the minimum wage, to cover these poor people who got fired because of CORPORATE GREED!
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