Solomon Everta, owner of Eureka Books in Eureka, Calif., is planning to add a second store, Omnibus, which will be located at 117 F Street, "diagonally across the Old Town Gazebo from Eureka Books," Lost Coast Outpost reported.
While Eureka Books buys and sells used books, its ground floor is primarily occupied by new titles. Omnibus will focus on manga and graphic novels, as well as role-playing games, related pop culture items (including films), and illustrator-focused art supplies. It is scheduled to open March 7.
For tabletop role-playing games, Eureka Books will be collaborating with the owners of Dandar's Boardgames and Books, whose downtown Arcata store was destroyed by a fire last month.
Everta said that although his favorite part of the job is talking with customers about books, the responsibilities of ownership often limit his time to do so. To gauge customer demand, he listens to his staff "because they know more about what our customers want."
Manga is one of those genres in demand. Eureka Bookstore's selection has grown significantly over the past few years as Everta started buying more titles from customers who came in with "huge collections" of used manga and graphic novels, the Outpost noted, adding that soon "one bookshelf of manga and graphic novels became two. Then three. Then five."
"It has been very successful," Everta said. "So successful that we're at the point of thinking that it could really use its own space."
Omnibus will be located in the Antonsen/Snug Building. With its "Italianate architecture featuring tall, narrow windows and an overhanging eave, the 1890 building... is a registered Eureka historic landmark," the Outpost wrote.
"Even though Eureka Books is pretty big, it's full," Everta said, noting that Omnibus will offer more storage space for the business. Staff in the two stores will communicate with each other and move between the locations to give breaks to co-workers or use the Antonsen Building's kitchen facilities.
Everta expressed gratitude to the community for its support: "In order for you to have bookstores in your community, you have to go to the bookstore and buy books. But it's not something like, you do it and you're done. The community has to continue to do that and to teach the next generation that this is what we do."