"Brad Jones and Cinda Meister of BookSmart in Morgan Hill have opened a satellite location in Eastridge. Anyone in the neighborhood can head over and support a local mom 'n' pop business. Even better, if VTA ever finishes building the light rail extension they should have built 40 years ago, then thousands of additional customers can peruse the small confines of the latest BookSmart enterprise."
""The east side of San Jose has been a book desert for a long time, and we believe that every community needs an independent bookstore because of the value it brings to the community," Jones said, adding that he tried a second location years ago, which didn't work out, so he was somewhat skeptical when the Eastridge gambit first materialized. But they're off to a good start."
""We've had a super ton of feedback from people coming into the mall," Jones said. "And what we hear is, all the time, 'Oh, we're so excited. It's been years since there was a Barnes & Noble here and we love having a bookstore in our community.'" As we talked, decades of Eastridge bookstore memories came into the conversation. B. Dalton. Barnes & Noble. Was there a Waldenbooks?"
BookSmart of Morgan Hill opened a satellite location in Eastridge mall, marking the first nearby bookstore since Barnes & Noble left. Owners Brad Jones and Cinda Meister run the Morgan Hill store, which began in 1994, and established the Eastridge outpost after earlier experience trying a second location that failed. The pair originally ran a restaurant and then took over a closing bookstore using a credit card. East San Jose has lacked bookstore access, and local shoppers have responded with enthusiastic feedback. The owners emphasized listening to customers and adapting inventory. Completion of a VTA light rail extension could bring many more patrons.
Read at Metro Silicon Valley | Silicon Valley's Leading Weekly
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