Despite a delay of over three months, Diesel Bookstore in Larkspur, Calif., finally opened on Friday, July 5. With the opening, the number of stores in John Evans and Alison Reid’s indie chain rises to four.
Scoffing at the suggestion that he has become an indie bookstore mogul, co-owner Evans said: “All four Diesel stores could fit into Vroman’s in Pasadena.” The new store, located in the Marin County Mart near the Larkspur Ferry Terminal, is 2,400 square feet, the same size as Diesel’s store in Oakland, and about twice the size of the Brentwood and Malibu locations. “Every store fits the personality of the community it’s in. They’re all uniquely different,” said Evans, who opened the first Diesel with Reid in 1989.
The Larkspur store was supposed to open on March 15, but the busy schedule of the Marin County Mart’s developer slowed construction. “It was excruciating,” according to Evans, “but we realize now it worked in our favor. It gave us time to find the best booksellers for the store.”
The extra time allowed Evans and Reid to find several seasoned booksellers for the new location. Rod Froke, formerly of Stacey’s, is the store manager. The rest of the staff includes Herb Bivens, co-founder of Black Oak Books; Alan Dishman of Builder’s Bookstore; and Margaret Simpson, who previously worked at A Clean Well-Lighted Place, in the same space where Diesel Larkspur is now located.
