CONCORD — More than six months after being forced out of its longtime downtown location, the beloved Concord outpost of the Half Price Books book chain has found a new home across town in the Willows Shopping Center.
After a soft opening Saturday, the bookstore held a grand opening Thursday that drew a line of waiting customers around the building before 10 a.m., according to store manager Jake Hansen.
“We’re thrilled that the support has been so sweet,” Hansen said.
The family-owned new and used book chain — which now operates 126 stores across the country — opened its store in downtown Concord in 2001 and closed last May after its new landlord decided to not renew the bookstore’s lease.
Retail development firm Paragon Commercial Group, LLC and San Francisco-based Long Market Property Partners, LLC purchased the downtown building that previously housed Half Price Books, as well as the rest of the block. The entire 2.15-acre property was 100 percent occupied at the time, according to a news release the firms issued then, but Half Price Books was asked to leave, and a longtime restaurant on the block could not afford the rent increase levied by the new owners.
The new Half Price Books location at the Willows — 1975 Diamond Boulevard — occupies approximately 6,600 square feet that previously housed Aaron Brothers Art and Framing. The space is actually smaller than its downtown home, but with a rectangular shape and plenty of tall shelves stacked with books, Hansen said many customers have commented on how the store seems larger than its previous home.
Customers will find mostly the same offerings as the previous Half Price Books — new and used books, gifts, CDs, DVDs and vinyl records, with special sections for “staff picks” and bestsellers. On Thursday afternoon, it still had a bustling counter at the back of the store where employees were evaluating and buying books from people coming in to sell their items. Between 70 and 80 percent of the store’s sales come from the used book counter, Hansen said.
Customers who were fans of the old store will even find most of the same employees. Of the 22 employees at the downtown location, 18 of them are working at the new spot, while the few others transferred to other Half Price Book stores or found new jobs, Hansen said.
The hours will be slightly different, opening an hour later and closing an hour earlier on most days of the week than the old store. The new store opens daily at 10 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m. during the week, except for Fridays and Saturdays when it stays open until 11 p.m., and Sunday, when it will close at 9 p.m.
“We were thrilled to have found a great new location for our store in the Willows Shopping Center,” said Kathy Doyle Thomas, executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Half Price Books, in a written statement “We know this community has many great book lovers who are happy to have our store back in their city limits, and we are happy to be back.”
An announcement last week posted last week by the Half Price Books Facebook page about the opening this week drew dozens of comments from local customers expressing their excitement about the opening and telling the bookstore that they missed them.
Hansen said the scramble to find a new location after the downtown one closed was difficult — most spots were either too small, too expensive or off the market, he said.
The Willows shopping center is directly next to the new Veranda center, where a Barnes & Noble — which had exited central Contra Costa through store closures in previous years — opened a new location this year, as well.
“I’m just happy that we’re back,” Hansen said.