Share this pageFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 28, 2012
For More Information, Contact:
Tyler Haskell at (650) 688-6384 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
KEPLER’S NAMED 11TH SENATE DISTRICT SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
PALO ALTO – State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today his selection of Kepler’s Books and Magazines as the 11th Senate District’s Small Business of the Year. This is the second time Simitian has given the award to Kepler’s.
Roy Kepler founded Kepler’s in Menlo Park in 1955. The store became a community fixture for progressive culture, attracting local artists, musicians, and academics. Kepler’s is still renowned for its knowledgeable staff, family-friendly atmosphere, and frequent literary events.
“Kepler’s has always been more than just a store,” said Simitian, a customer since the 1960s. “It has been a hub of intellectual free exchange in our highly engaged community. That’s no small thing.”
Facing an increasingly challenging market environment as a traditional bookseller, Kepler’s spent much of the year restructuring its business model and recently reopened with a forward-looking vision dubbed “Kepler’s 2020.” The new and unique hybrid organizational structure features a for-profit, community-owned-and-operated bookstore operating alongside a nonprofit that organizes author appearances, lectures, and other literary events.
“We are honored that Senator Simitian chose Kepler’s as the Small Business of the Year for District 11,” said Christin Evans, who, along with her husband, Praveen Madan, recently took over leadership of Kepler’s. “Even in technologically advanced communities like Silicon Valley, independent bookstores are valued cultural institutions. We’re proud to be part of this community and glad we continue to enjoy tremendous community support.”
Simitian has named an independent bookseller as Small Business of the Year in each of his eight years in the Senate. “Given the considerable pressures facing independent bookstores,” Simitian observed, “we ought to recognize the remarkable innovative spirit Kepler’s has demonstrated by reinventing itself in this way. Our independent bookstores are a valued community asset, and Kepler’s in particular is a real treasure.”
For more information about Kepler’s, visit http://www.keplers.com.