Another local independent bookstore is closing its doors. Kathleen Caldwell, owner of Montclair Village’s beloved A Great Good Place for Books in Oakland, will close the shop in June.
Making the decision was heartbreaking for Caldwell, who says, “When you’re putting more into the store than you’re taking out — you know, we can put a Band-Aid on it again, but it’s been a really hard six years.”
Caldwell, who inherited the store two decades ago from her friend Debi Echlin, said shoppers got used to mail-ordering books and did not return to in-person shopping after the pandemic, as she’d hoped.
Other East Bay stores that didn’t survive post-COVID include Books Inc. (acquired by Barnes & Noble in September 2025), Half Price Books, and Eastwind Books in Berkeley.
Caldwell posted on Instagram: “One of the great joys of my life has been my role at the helm of Montclair Village’s Great Good Place for the past 22 years. I have loved being a part of your community, watching your children grow up, being their safe place, turning you on to that book I just couldn’t put down and introducing you to the authors who have set your imaginations on fire. Sadly, it’s time for me to step away. Through many tears, difficult conversations, and sleepless nights I have decided to close A Great Good Place for Books in the weeks ahead. I don’t know what my next chapter looks like, but I hope many of you will still be a part of it. Thank you for an amazing ride; who knew GGP was everything I never knew I wanted?”
When Caldwell took over the store, she immediately began to put her stamp on it.
“I made it more family-oriented and carried more rom-com-y stuff; my reading preferences are probably more contemporary books,” she says. The most “Kathleen” part of her bookshop features literary rom-coms by authors such as Carly Fortune and Taylor Jenkins Reid. “Those are the books I really love,” she says.
She adds, “I expanded the children’s section to about a third of the store.” Patrons love the lively children’s area section in the back, home to innumerable story sessions throughout the years.
Caldwell also hosted special groups, local authors and internationally acclaimed writers. She especially loved visits by Reid, Sean Greer, Annabelle Monahan, and Lauren Groff, who came for each of her books except the last one.
“It’s been a wild ride — I’ve had a lot of people through here,” Caldwell says.
Frances Dinkelspiel, author of “Tangled Vines” and co-founder of the digital newspaper Berkeleyside, says, “The closure of A Great Good Place for Books is a huge blow for the literary community. Kathleen has been incredibly generous, always willing to host author events and champion local authors. She talks up the work of Bay Area writers so much that their book sales soar. She and her store will be missed.”
Caldwell, who grew up in Pleasant Hill, always has been an avid reader. She says, “No matter how little we had, my mom never said no to a book.” She remembers shopping at the indie Larry’s Books and the B. Dalton in the mall.
Though she isn’t sure where the future will lead her, she hopes to stay in the book industry.
While she doesn’t compare herself to Kathleen, the bookshop owner-children’s book author in “You’ve Got Mail,” she says, laughing, “We’re watching that movie tonight as part of rom-com night, which we do every Thursday.”
She adds, “I don’t think I’d write kids’ books, but I’d love to be able to write and make a living at it. You never know.”
Supporters have set up a Go Fund Me to help Caldwell.
A Great Good Place for Books is at 6120 La Salle Ave., Oakland; visit https://ggpbooks.com/.
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