Diesel changes hands officially
Brad Johnson has been a bookseller at Diesel in Oakland for five years. Now, however, the shop is his — and it has a new name.
Friday was the first day of East Bay Booksellers, a rechristened space that Johnson has been working to acquire for the past year.
The 42-year-old became the store’s new owner after raising $165,000 through an innovative community-lending program. More than 50 people, most of whom live within 2 miles of the Rockridge district store, loaned the money, to be repaid over five to 10 years.
“It all came down to the idea that we need spaces like this,” Johnson said.
Diesel owners John Evans and Alison Reid, with stores in Larkspur and Los Angeles, decided to part with their Oakland shop last year. “If you don’t shake things up yourself,” Evans said at the time, “it’s only a matter of time before somebody else shakes it up for you.”
Evans, Reid and Johnson signed the paperwork a few days ago to make it official.
“I’m still in a bit of a daze — it’s been a sprint to the finish. I feel like I’ll be able to get back to being an actual bookseller,” Johnson said, with a laugh.
In addition to running the business, he’ll still spend time on the floor of the shop — a handsome, high-ceilinged space on College Avenue — on weekends. Engaging with customers, he said, is his greatest joy.
A native of Lexington, Ky., Johnson has attributed the store’s new name to being “an unabashed cheerleader for the East Bay. How better to illustrate this than to wed in a store name my affection for where I am with what I do?”
Johnson envisions that any changes to the store will be gradual. He hopes, for one, to re-examine events, “to create some sort of a semblance of a narrative theme” over time, “contributions to a greater conversation that goes beyond a single book.”
Also, as his own boss, Johnson said he welcomes the chance to make decisions on the fly, without “having to go through proper channels.” For instance, East Bay Booksellers has already decided to donate 20 percent of its opening weekend sales to Hurricane Harvey relief.
Once Johnson and his five co-workers get acclimated, they plan to celebrate their new venture with a party. The cake and Champagne will probably come out by the end of September.
More information: www.eb booksellers.com