Copperfield’s Books, the multiple-store independent based in California's Sonoma and Napa counties, moved its Santa Rosa location from one end of the Monterey Village mall to another this month in just four days of well-organized staff participation.
“The lease on the former store was coming to an end, and we realized that we no longer needed such a big space. In this economic climate, we didn’t want to continue to pay for it, either,” says Copperfield’s president and co-owner Paul Jaffe. The old store, which Copperfield’s had occupied for 15 years, was almost 11,000 square feet including a café. The Monterey Village Mall is similar to a neighborhood center with streets running through it. “We moved from the northwest side to the southeast side, about three blocks away, into a cozy 5,600 square foot space that includes a café like the old store,” Jaffe says. “It was time to be leaner.”The new store is located at 775 Village Court.
The move was well planned by the Copperfield’s staff. “I was the truck driver,” says Jaffe. “We got a lot of book carts to help get the inventory out of the store. It took two and a half days to move, and then a day and a half to set everything up. We re-opened on November 11.” This was Copperfield’s fourth move in the Village in the 27 years the Santa Rosa store has been there. “The last time, it was a very public event,” Jaffe says, “with lots of volunteer help from our customers. But times have changed, and liability laws prevented us from allowing that this time.”
