SAD NEWS FROM LOS ANGELES… two of my favourite shops are about to change dramatically.  Book Soup’s owner Glenn Goldman died from pancreatic cancer last weekend, a day after announcing plans to sell the store.  He knew he was going to die, and wanted to be able to pass on some money to his two sons. http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-goldman4-2009jan04,0,2106470.story  

And Tracey Ross, owner of the eponymous boutique in Sunset Boulevard shut her doors for the last time on New Year’s Eve, blaming the shop’s demise on the economy. http://www.traceyross.com/ 

Put in perspective with what’s happening globally, it’s hardly a surprise nor is it going to affect people on a large scale in the same way that the closing of 25 branches of M&S announced today will affect the 1000 people about to lose their jobs.  

But both these shops touched people’s lives, transmogrifying a normal everyday purchase - a book, an item of clothing - into something completely magical, exciting.  If you bought a book from Book Soup, you bought into a store that had been going since the 1970s, where customers - authors, locals, celebrities -  browsed between tower-high piles of rare, unusual or best-selling books.  If you bought a top from Tracey Ross, it wasn’t just a top, it was understated cool, something you’d wear over and over, that could take you from the market at Santa Monica to Chateau Marmont.  They don’t sell that at Barney’s or Neiman Marcus. 

Personally, I feel very lucky to have been a part, a very small part of two of Los Angeles’ finest institutions.  Last year in July I had a book reading and signing at Book Soup, followed by an after-party at Tracey Ross.  Happy memories for me.  I went back to both stores a day or so afterwards and enjoyed them as a customer this time.  The staff in both were fun, engaging, knowledgeable about what they sold.  They looked like they enjoyed their jobs, enjoyed being a part of these stores.  I’m grateful to both stores for giving me the chance to present Face Value and I wish them luck with their plans for the future. 

Please check out the links below…and if you’ve been to the stores, share your experiences…  happy days x

Read about my visit to Book Soup here:http://kathleenbaird-murray.co.uk/2008/08/04/book-soup-i-love-you/#more-109 

Read about the Face Value book party at Tracey Ross here: http://kathleenbaird-murray.co.uk/2008/08/04/tracey-ross-loving-you-too/