Nearly two decades after selling its first book on the Third Street Promenade, Midnight Special closed its doors Sunday.
Scores of volunteers boxed up remaining merchandise early this week as the politically liberal bookstore’s managers continued searching for a new home.
But owner Margie Ghiz vowed the store will eventually reopen.
“Everything’s sort of chaotic right now,” she said Thursday. “But we will survive.”
The high cost of rent pushed Midnight Special off of the Promenade, where it was a cornerstone of the local community, Ghiz said.
For more than 10 years, Midnight Special’s landlord, Wally Marks, has subsidized the store’s rent, allowing it to maintain a visible presence on the Promenade. According to Ghiz, Marks passionately believed in the store and tried to encourage its success.
“He built this beautiful store because he believed in us,” Ghiz said in an earli-er interview. “The whole family has given a tremendous amount of support. They have been the kind of landlords communities need.”
However, circumstances no longer permit the Marks family to continue their “substantial” subsidy, she said.
Community support for the bookstore has been extensive, said Ghiz, who posted a call for volunteers on the Midnight
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 28, 2003. Read the original PDF.