Yesterday’s Books, Modesto’s only independently owned and operated bookstore, has unfortunately fallen as the latest victim of the pandemic. I don’t remember a time when it was anything other than a second home. Ever since their heartfelt announcement from owner, Paula Kiss, on October 28 of this year, I have been coming in every few days to visit the employees and browse the stacks.
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I have been visiting Yesterday’s Books ever since I was a child. I remember in the winter walking past the windows painted to look like the inside of a snow globe in glittery white paint. The elderly man on their logo is like a modern Rorschach; I never knew who he was supposed to be. I always thought he was Uncle Andrew from The Magician’s Nephew by CS Lewis. One employee envisions him as Ichabod Crane from the animated Sleepy Hollow. Another employee sees him as the bookseller from Beauty and the Beast that generously lets Belle keep her favorite book. Paula finally revealed the answer to the riddle: Desiderius Erasmus, one of the greatest scholars of the Renaissance. In all honesty, the Yesterday’s Books logo looks nothing like Erasmus. I prefer to leave it up to the beholder.
Before Paula, the Doormans opened the original store in 1980 in a different location before moving to its current home in 1993. Throughout my life, Yesterday’s became my library - a place to play the game of reduce-reuse-recycle with their trade-in program. I would bring in stacks of books I no longer wanted in exchange for finding a new treasured story in which to escape. It wasn’t until the pandemic and subsequent shut-down occurred that I realized what a constant Yesterday’s was to my life until it was no longer available. I watched through social media updates as the bookshop struggled to meet the demands of the shelter-in-place orders while still attempting to provide books for their patrons.
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Once they finally reopened to regular business hours, I made a point to visit at least once a month if I could. As a high school English teacher, I am always hunting for books to add to my classroom library. During my monthly visits over the last year, I have come to know most of the employees as friends. I knew the store was struggling, so I began documenting my monthly book hauls on social media, aiming to drive my following to support Yesterday’s Books. A few months after my first post, I was browsing the children’s section when I was approached by Paula and met her officially for the first time. She went on to tell me that my campaign to drive sales their way brought tears to her eyes. Since the pandemic, sales are estimated to be about 30% down from before the country shut down. I ended up talking with Paula for over an hour about life, going back to school, memories from over the years, and of course, book recommendations. Through several interactions like this with the employees, I have have been fondly dubbed "Mama Beard, patron saint of Yesterday's Books."
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Joseph, one of the last remaining employees, has been an employee since 2018. When I asked how the pandemic affected their sales, he let out a large, defeated exhale. “It changed the way people shopped. People didn’t want to leave their house to look for a book if they weren’t sure it was there anymore,” he says. Yesterday’s inventory has plummeted in the last few years, but pre-pandemic, their stock was 99.91% used and 0.09% new (you can check with DJ for the exact math). When the 2020 epidemic started, all of a sudden, people had time to read again. Rather than risk exposure and search for treasure in a used bookstore, most decided to run to Amazon, who could guarantee stock and a better price. In the recent rise in inflation, people do not have as much disposable income to spend on the rising cost of used books on Yesterday’s shelves. The decision to close was purely financial. “There’s no guesswork to it or shopping around for the book you're looking for. There’s no discovery of a book you may want to someday read, especially for the younger generation, who generally know exactly what they want,” said Joseph. Most of the patrons at Yesterday’s are older and therefore have been “grandfathered” in as loyal customers. “They are more willing to come discover treasure,” said Joseph.
Ever since the announcement of the impending closing date, the public has been incredibly generous in their support. When the news was first announced, people came in droves to support the store, queuing in line that resembled Black Friday sales with arm-loads of books. “It was bittersweet,” Joseph said, “because where were they months ago when we needed them?”
In the final weeks of this treasured local gem, I look at the well-worn emerald green carpet smattered with pink lilies and mint polka dots, the warm wooden bookshelves lining the walls, wondering what this place will be next. The employees are taking things one week at a time. With their lease being up at the end of the year, any day could be the shop’s last.
What are the employees treasuring most in these final days?
“I’m going to miss the smell of the place and buying books here. Seeing my favorite books coming in and knowing that someone else will get to enjoy it,” Joseph said. “You get to talk books with customers and make momentary connections. You form bonds with people. It feels like I’m really helping somebody that will ultimately change their life in some way.”
(Note: Patrons can still support the staff at Yesterday's Books through shopping with Bookshop.org at bookshop.org/shop/YesterdaysBooks. Bookshop donates their entire profit margin of 30% to support indie bookstores.)
