COVID-19 lockdown spells shutdown for popular Oakland print shop Issues
Magazine store that survived decline of print couldn’t survive social distancing, owners say
OAKLAND » A pair of entrepreneurs who defied the odds by opening a shop dedicated to the ever-shrinking world of print periodicals is reluctantly closing their doors after 13 years, having suffered collateral damage of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Oakland shop, called Issues, carried hundreds of popular and obscure publications from around the world, developing and maintaining a devoted following through two relocations, a recession
and the publishing world’s woes.
The shop couldn’t withstand the extended shelterin-place order, though, that has kept its Piedmont Avenue storefront locked since mid-March and stopped vital cash flow.
It’s the end of an unlikely dream for Issues co-founders Noella Teele and Joe Colley, who started the store almost on a whim in 2007 and have nurtured it as the kind of community gathering place where social distancing was never a concern as people browsed the stock that included records, T-shirts and buttons.
“In an age of social distancing, it didn’t seem possible to continue,” Teele said. “We have a low profit margin, but we always had a large volume of customers. On an average Saturday you could see 10 people looking around in different parts of the store. That’s the kind of level of community engagement you need to be sustainable.”
Teele and Colley announced their heart-wrenching decision to close on May 5, after an extension of the shelter-in-place order through the end of May. They had already applied for grants and government business assistance with no success. Customers had come through by buying gift certificates that allowed employees to be paid for a time. But with income gone, expenses continuing and the possibility of curbside pickup in the interim ruled out by Alameda County, the partners felt they had no options. They returned the publications they could and sold the remainder online.
The public response to the announcement has demonstrated the devoted following and community feel that the shop generated.
“I am heartbroken to know that Issues will be no more,” one customer commented to the closure announcement on social media. “I will continue to hold on to the hope that Issues may be reborn. Your shop is my all-time favorite shop in Oakland. It’s my one Happy Place when work and life get a bit crazy.”
Another wrote, “We are so sad for you and sad for this town and for our neighborhood to not have you here anymore. You did so much to make it a special place.”
Other fans commented that they would support a GoFundMe effort to revive the shop.
“Just hearing the support from everybody after our announcement has softened the blow a bit and given us some comfort,” Teele said. “It’s nice to see the outpouring.”
The response to the shop’s closure parallels the response it has had since its opening in 2007. The unlikely idea of opening a place specializing in print came at a time when similar endeavors were closing with the world of print publications in the midst of a long decline.
“This was at a time when everyone was saying that ‘print is dead’ and that the written word would soon only be available electronically,” Issues wrote last week in its announcement to customers. “We believed otherwise and created a space where print was not only accessible but thrived.”
Teele, then 29, had managed a record store at Embarcadero Center in San Francisco, and Colley had previously managed a Tower Magazines location. They used that experience to open their own original storefront at Piedmont and Glen avenues.
“We put the word out, and the response was overwhelming,” Teele said. “Even during the recession in 2008, we were able to get through that time and continue.”
As recently as 2010 the shop carried as many as 3,000 different titles, along with books, records and Tshirts, among other items. As titles folded and distributors went under, the stock dropped to 1,000 titles.
After 11 years at the location, the shop relocated to 40th Street near MacArthur BART in July 2018. The loyal customer base followed, “but we continually heard from people that they missed having us in their own neighborhood,” Teele said. “They wanted us to be more accessible.”
The shop, with support from funds through an IndieGoGo campaign, returned to a new spot at 4198 Piedmont Ave. last July, about two blocks from the original Glen Avenue location, with an opening party, one of numerous events the shop has hosted over the years, including readings, performances and even a chili cook-off.
Entering the new year, the shop did well in January, but sales tailed off toward the end of February as COVID-19 fears began to take hold. Then came the shelter order.
“We looked at the future, and even if we got enough funding to restock the store, it’s always been based on browsing and discovery,” Teele said. “We never discouraged browsing. Quite the contrary. People would look around and find things they never knew existed.”
That experience would not be possible with the distancing edict.
“It’s hard and daunting to think about what to do next when this is everything we’ve done for over a decade. It’s heartbreaking and devastating,” Teele said. “It was really a fun time to be there just to support the community. I think we had a really good run, and I’m so sorry it’s all over.”