Bookstore May Close if Buyer Isn’t Found

A chapter in downtown Ventura history may soon be coming to a close.

Owner Ed Elrod said this week that he is planning to sell the Ventura Bookstore, which has long been a fixture on East Main Street. If he can’t sell the store, Elrod said, he will likely shut its doors for good.

The Ventura Bookstore, at 522 E. Main St., opened in 1938, and Elrod has been an owner for 21 years.

Butcher paper now hangs in the window, announcing a huge sale set to begin Saturday.

“If a deal to sell the store goes through, it’s an anniversary sale,” Elrod said Tuesday. “If not, it’s a closing sale.”

Elrod, who also owns Ojai Table of Contents, said it has been difficult to run the two businesses by himself since his business partner died in February. He said sales are down because he is torn between the two stores and doesn’t have enough time to devote to each.