Creatures 'n Crooks Bookshoppe announces its closing

Creatures 'n Crook Bookshoppe photo courtesy Margaret Oleksa

Creatures ‘n Crooks Bookshoppe has announced it will be closing the Carytown bookstore the end of September, 2009. Owner, Lelia Taylor, sighted the current economy as reason. “[T]his summer is not… nearly as good as previous summers and… we can’t wait any longer for the economy to get better.”

The locally owned Creatures ‘n Crooks Bookshoppe specializes in mystery, science fiction, fantasy and horror book titles. It originally opened in May of 2000 on Midlothian Turnpike and moved to the current Carytown location at 3156 West Cary Street, Richmond, Virginia in November 2004. It is the only bookstore of its kind on the east coast and the only mystery specialty bookstore from Baltimore to Atlanta.

Their core clients have known for some time that closing may be a possibility and have made every effort to keep them in business. Patrons are very sad and will miss the great, knowledgeable staff, and will also miss the store mascot, Hamilton. People often stop by to visit their cat, Hamilton, even when not shopping for a book.

“Richmond is a great community for bookstores”, says Lelia. Richmond has a large number of independent bookstores. Columbia, SC, by comparison, is a college town and about the same population as Richmond, and has no independent bookstores. “The independent bookstores have a good relationship with the chain stores... we send customers to [them] and they send customers to us, and I think Richmond should be proud of… that.”

When asked about the future of bookstores, Lelia said, “There will always be a place for brick-and-motor bookstores.” People like to talk to others about a book before buying, and the best place is a bookstore, and they can’t do that online. Bookstores have to be more selective. If recent sales of a title are slow, the book will probably not be reordered, which will hurt small publishers and self-published authors.

“I’m thrilled that Richmond still has a book [review] section in the newspaper. Many newspapers… will review only hardcover... The Times Dispatch reviews paperbacks also which is a real plus!”

Lelia warns if the public is not careful, we will lose local businesses more and more frequently. Carytown is comprised of very eclectic boutiques, without chains. When shopping locally owned businesses, approximately 63% of every dollar stays in the community. Far less stays in the locality when shopping chains, and usually zero when buying online. Shopping online and at chains is changing the entire outlook of the community. It takes only a little effort to keep local businesses going, whether buying a book or eating at a restaurant.

Creatures ‘n Crooks will be hosting a number of author events in the next few months, so stay tuned for more information on upcoming attractions. Visit their website at http://www.cncbooks.com.

The real horror in this story is knowing what Richmond will do without it’s only mystery specialty bookstore! Creatures ‘n Crooks is what an independent bookstore is all about, with staff who enjoy mysteries as much as you do and can help you find just the right book, with a cat to confirm that you made a wise decision.