Closure of Beloved Bookstore Chain Devastates Los Angeles
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Los Angeles residents were shocked to find out Monday afternoon that Arclight, the beloved chain of indie bookstores, would remain closed indefinitely, heartbroken sources reported.
“This is a travesty. Now where am I going to browse books, snacks and Wes Anderson T-Shirts?” said Mandy Torres, a former Arclight Cinemas regular. “My friends and I would wait outside the store for hours on the opening weekend of a newly released book. It’s such a unique landmark too. I heard it even had movie screening rooms at one point? Barnes and Noble will never be that cool.”
Arclight’s parent company, Pacific Theaters, attributed the bookstore closures to issues with their theater chains.
“The Arclight bookstores were funded mostly by the Arclight Cinemas theater chain, which hasn’t been as profitable thanks to the pandemic,” said Pacific Theaters CEO Scott Simmons. “The theater chain will also remain closed indefinitely, but that’s whatever compared to the loss of our bookstores. We tried everything we could to save them except most things. LA is the center of the literary world, so the loss of one of its premiere bookstore chains is truly devastating.”
Book fans around the country have called on celebrity authors like Steven King and Nora Roberts to help save the beleaguered bookstores.
“I wouldn’t be an author if it weren’t for Arclight,” said King, carefully unrolling a vintage Arclight Cinemas t-shirt. “The publishing industry has become so soulless. Everyone wants big, action filled books. Nobody has the time for indie books. And audiobooks? Don’t get me started. Arclight Cinemas was one of the last few places that understood the value of books beyond the glitz and glamour. I wouldn’t be against buying it, though I’d definitely need to get rid of those big empty rooms in the back. The ones with the screens and weird chairs.”
At press time, Amazon announced its plans to purchase the iconic Cinerama Library for another brick-and-mortar bookselling location.
