A new chapter begins for Kepler's bookstore A new chapter begins for Kepler's bookstore (October 12, 2005)

** Some 600 people sign up for bookstore's membership program.

By Rory Brown

Almanac Staff Writer

It was a day of thanks and congratulations, cheers and even some tears as Kepler's Books and Magazines in Menlo Park reopened Saturday, October 8.

An estimated 800 people flocked to support Clark Kepler and other speakers at an 11 a.m. rally, and the crowd followed a smiling Mr. Kepler into the store when it was officially reopened several minutes before noon.

Mr. Kepler abruptly closed the store August 31, blaming the economic downturn, but members of the community took action to save it.

"I thank you all," said Mr. Kepler to the cheering crowd. "I've worked harder the last 35 or 40 days than I have my entire life."

After the lease was finalized October 3, a total of 114 volunteers put in a combined 326 hours of work to prepare the store for its reopening, said Susan Lider, who is assisting with the store's public relations and marketing operations.

About 640 people signed up for the bookstore's new membership program at the rally, said Ms. Lider.

Some 60 percent of Kepler's employees returned to work, Mr. Kepler said before the rally.

Noting there were "too many people to thank individually," Mr. Kepler still acknowledged Menlo Park council member Kelly Fergusson.

"[Ms. Fergusson] was one of the most assertive and supportive people in saving the store," Mr. Kepler said. "She spearheaded this process."

"We refused to accept that faceless economic forces could steal the heart and soul of our community," said Ms. Fergusson, the rally's first speaker.

Mayor Mickie Winkler honored two people -- Daniel Mendez and Anne Banta -- whom she labeled key figures in getting Kepler's back on its feet.

A member of the newly established board of directors for Kepler's, and founder of the investment group called the "Patrons Circle," Mr. Mendez met with Mr. Kepler the day after the store closed to start crafting a plan to save it.

"It's a thing of beauty to see the community come together," Mr. Mendez said to the crowd. "We couldn't have done this without the Patrons Circle, which has grown from 17 to 23 patrons now."

A list with the names of 19 patron circle members can be found at keplers.com. Four of the investors chose to remain anonymous.

All investments were finalized Friday morning, according to Mr. Mendez.

Mr. Kepler and the bookstore's board members are still investigating the option of making Kepler's a nonprofit organization, Mr. Mendez said before the rally.

Ms. Banta, Kepler's new chief marketing officer, urged the crowd to sign up for the store's membership program, labeled the "literary circle."

At the rally, volunteers were encouraged to join the literary circle at one of seven levels, ranging from basic ($50-$99) to platinum ($2,500 +). There is also a student rate of $20. Descriptions of the benefits of each membership level are available at keplers.com.

Kepler's will be working directly with schools and corporations throughout the Peninsula, organizing book fairs, readings and author seminars, Ms. Banta said.

"In the near future, we're going to have book clubs, and employees will be able to give recommendations to customers online," Ms. Banta said before the rally. "We're also setting up a children's reading program, and seven librarians have already said they want to participate."

More than 200 people have volunteered to help Kepler's, according to Ms. Banta.

Ms. Banta also recognized Rick Opaterny, a Google Inc. employee and host of savekeplers.com.

"While the doors may have been shut, Kepler's never closed because of [Mr. Opaterny]," said Ms. Banta. "Since Kepler's closed, savekeplers.com received 20,000 hits and 500 volunteer requests."

State Assemblyman Ira Ruskin also spoke, thanking the community for saving the store, located in the Menlo Center on El Camino Real.

"We all would have been severely damaged had Kepler's closed -- not only in Menlo Park, but all of the surrounding communities," he said.

Mr. Ruskin and California Sen. Joe Simitian sent letters to the Tan Group, the Palo Alto-based company that owns Menlo Center, stressing the importance of keeping Kepler's in its current location.

Mayor Winkler also honored the Tan Group for being "responsive and flexible" in renegotiating the bookstore's lease.

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