The time has come to begin the grieving process. As we reported back in March, Books Inc. lost its lease and will officially close its doors in the Castro on June 15th.

“That was the first store that we opened,” said Books Inc. CEO Michael Tucker, “and it was really because of the vibrant scene of what the Castro was. So leaving is tough.” According to Tucker, store-wide sales begin today and will last until the store’s closing.

“It was one of those things for me,” Tucker said, “I don’t close stores, but it had really gotten to the point where we could really no longer sustain [what we were doing].”

According to an announcement from Books Inc. in March, the closure "does not reflect the overall health of Books, Inc. or the book industry." The bookstore has 10 Bay Area locations, with a new Santa Clara outpost set to open this summer.

"We have served customers and authors in the Castro for over 20 years and thank everyone for the support," wrote Tucker. "We look forward to continuing service for the community at our Opera Plaza location," which, Tucker says, will begin carrying an expanded selection of LGBT selections.

Tucker is well-aware of the recent opening of Dog Eared Books in the neighborhood. “Kate [Rosenberger] is terrific, and she really runs some great shops,” Tucker said. “I tell you, I was extremely pleased to find out that they were able to take a location in the Castro just two days after we had announced we were closing. The neighborhood really deserves a store. They have my best wishes.”

“We hope that we’re able to still serve the community,” Tucker said, “and we have been privileged to be able to be [in the Castro]. We hope we’ve done a good job by the neighborhood.”