When beloved San Francisco bookstore A Clean Well-Lighted Place announced last month that it was up for sale, Bay Area writers and readers knew it probably wouldn’t be long before the store closed for good. Now, after three decades of being central to the Bay Area literary community, the store is officially closing. Blame it on online sales, outrageous San Francisco real estate prices, dismally expensive parking meters on Van Ness, or what you will… but those of us who considered ACWLP among the top two spots to give a reading in the Bay Area (along with Book Passage in Corte Madera) will definitely feel the loss. Those who will take the brunt of the loss are the employees:

Between its full- and part-time staff, CWLP employed approximately 30 people; more than a third of the staff were long-term employees with service ranging from eight to 27 years.

ACWLP owner Neal Sofman is opening a new store in West Portal, with the very basic name of Bookstore West Portal. West Portal has a well-trafficked shopping street with good parking, a movie theater, and coffee shops. It’s also in the middle of a residential community; hopefully, the new location will prove fruitful. I know I’ll be checking the place out as soon as it opens.