The Elegant Variation: KULTURAs CLOSES

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June 24, 2009

KULTURAs CLOSES

Santa Monica's KULTURAs Books is closing and heading back to Washington, D.C.

Husband-and-wife team Andrew MacDonald and Irene Coray decided to take a risk — pack up their highly successful 17-year-old bookstore in the middle of bustling Dupont Circle and take their chances in Santa Monica where the people are well-read but the weather is more inviting.

They figured that even at a 50 percent loss in sales from the Washington D.C. store, the change in atmosphere would be well worth the move.

Three years later, the owners of KULTURAs Books on Ocean Park Boulevard are preparing to head back to where it all started, a result of a more than anticipated dramatic decline in revenue.

You have until July 20 to stop by and apologize in person on behalf of all of Los Angeles ... (Thanks, EG)

Posted at 12:46 AM in Words Fail | Permalink

Comments

Sorry for you guys, but happy for us DC folks. This was a wonderful store, and I welcome its return.

Posted by: Leslie | June 24, 2009 at 06:51 AM

Just like Leslie, good news for those of us here in DC where the weather is somewhat less lovely. Details on where and when they will open?

Posted by: Frances | June 24, 2009 at 07:28 AM

It's interesting to me that Metropolis Books can survive in the middle of skid row in downtown LA, but Kulturas can't survive in Santa Monica.

I guess it's all down to foot traffic...

Posted by: Niall | June 24, 2009 at 08:09 AM

KULTURA is a great store (they also had another Santa Monica location that I liked but closed a year or two ago), but the books are not well displayed or organized, even by some used bookstore standards, and they sell a lot of non-book merchandise. This variety may add to the charm of the place, but it may also have contributed to problems of store identity and profitability. They could have displayed books more prominently -- at least invest in a few more bookshelves -- rather than just leaving them double-stacked on existing shelves and in piles on the floor. Even so, I really wish them well and will be stopping by before it closes to comb through.

Posted by: Jacob Silverman | June 24, 2009 at 10:42 AM

What I see, after reading the articles about this bookstore failure, are a series of extraordinarily poor business decisions by the business owners. Everyone in Los Angeles knows to a man that you have to be very careful opening a store in downtown L.A. There's absolutely no one in downtown L.A. on a weekend or after 6:30 pm on a weekday. Not a single solitary little soul. Metropolis Books is there and is working out well. But they are located on Main Street right in the middle of the quickly improving hip arts section that's loaded with galleries and restaurants.

And opening in Santa Monica is not a good decision. People there are looking for parking at the beach. They are trying to afford their high rents and mortgages. They are most certainly not buying books and will not be for the foreseeable future.

I am not inclined to mourn for or apologize to businesses that seek out their own destruction.

There isn't even a Kultura Books web site. Come on. Really.

Posted by: Alessandro Cima | June 25, 2009 at 03:21 PM

Well, nevermind, they do have a web site... sort of. Not really. More like an online business card. Just not enough effort. I'd open a store near the beach too if I were following my emotions. Not if I were a businessman.

Posted by: Alessandro Cima | June 25, 2009 at 03:27 PM

But Alessandro, Metropolis Books *is* in downtown LA and doing very well. KULTURAs is failing in Santa Monica, not dowtown.

Of the two locations, downtown is definitely superior, because of the high volume of foot traffic (and therefore dropins) during the week. Can't say the same for Ocean Park Blvd.

Posted by: Niall | June 25, 2009 at 04:32 PM

I loved KULTURA.... The atmosphere was tranquil and the owners were friendly and helpful. Harmonious music from around the globe would fill the air. As I searched through the array of books, I would lose myself forgetting the hustle and bustle that was right outside the doors. They had rare finds and I enjoyed searching for a new treasure to take home and claim as my own. I bought numerous first editions to add to my home library. There is no other book store such as KULTURA here in the greater Los Angeles area.

Posted by: Sandra | November 11, 2009 at 12:34 PM

Dear Elegant Variation(Mark) and all readers/Commentators,thanks for all the comments both negative and positive. I enjoyed the hell out of living and selling books in LA. And there are plans in the works to return (sooner than later). Mark I'm sorry not to have met you as we lived up in the Palisades as well...maybe on the next incarnation. We are back up and running in DC but missing the sea air, my surf breaks, and the texture that is only LA. cheers to all for the new year. Andrew @ Kulturas

Posted by: Andrew Mac Donald | January 01, 2010 at 10:41 AM

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June 24, 2009

KULTURAs CLOSES

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MY NOVEL

WORTHY READINGS

TEV DEFINED

RECOMMENDED

THIS GUN FOR HIRE:
Reviews & Criticism

SECOND LOOK

Categories

The Elegant Variation

A Literary Weblog. A Guardian Top 10 Literary Blog * A Forbes "Best of the Web" Pick * A Los Angeles Magazine Top Los Angeles Blog "Really brave ... or really stupid" - NPR

June 24, 2009

KULTURAs CLOSES

Comments

Verify your Comment

Previewing your Comment

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MY NOVEL

WORTHY READINGS

TEV DEFINED

RECOMMENDED

THIS GUN FOR HIRE: Reviews & Criticism

SECOND LOOK

Categories

A Literary Weblog.
A Guardian Top 10 Literary Blog * A Forbes "Best of the Web" Pick * A Los Angeles Magazine Top Los Angeles Blog
"Really brave ... or really stupid" - NPR

THIS GUN FOR HIRE:
Reviews & Criticism