HAYWARD — From The Book Shop sales counter in downtown Hayward, Renee Rettig saw the store’s success play out in front of her every day as its manager, and even had a hand in shaping its history, too.

These days, her role isn’t much different, even though The Book Shop officially closed its doors in February.

She still greets many of The Book Shop’s longtime customers each day in downtown Hayward with a warm smile, simple hug and conversation as she supervises work on what will be her own independent book store on B Street, called Books on B. Rettig even has a good view of The Book Shop space from across the street, where she hopes to open Books on B, at 1014 B St., in September.

“This has exceeded my wildest dreams; I never dreamed that anything like this was going to happen at this stage of my life,” Rettig said in an interview from her future store in downtown Hayward.

“I always thought it would be a nice thing, but I had a very happy existence being a manager of an independent book store. I had the rug pulled out from under me, but it was only for the flicker of a moment because of the way in which this community has come forward and shown what this means to them,” she said.

The most recent chapter in her life as a business owner began during the week of Thanksgiving, when there were still questions about whether The Book Shop would either close or relocate so that its landlord, Red Bridge Partners SF, the San Francisco-based developer of the Green Shutter Hotel, could do extensive seismic reinforcement, plumbing, and electrical work in the store’s space.

At that time, Chabot College learning skills instructor Jerry Egusa called Rettig and offered her space in a building he owns across the street from The Book Shop storefront.

After touring the space in Egusa’s building, and using a little imagination, Rettig eventually agreed to make it the future home of Books on B. Her lease officially began July 1.

“I live and put my head down in San Leandro, but I’m alive and awake in Hayward,” said Rettig, who managed The Book Shop for 21 years before it closed.

“This place speaks to me,” she said.

The real work began after The Book Shop closed, Rettig said. There was money to raise, a store website to create, store logos to make, a social media campaign to oversee and business plans to secure, along with a business license and building permits. And that’s where many of The Book Shop’s customers re-entered the picture.

The day after the store closed, an email newsletter sent out to The Book Shop’s customers urged them to support an online fundraising campaign for Rettig’s Books on B endeavor. In February, Rettig set her initial fundraising goal at $55,000, which would give her just enough money to remodel her future shop space and make improvements such as repairing the floor, fixing front windows and installing new light fixtures.

All told, Rettig estimated that it would cost between $110,000 and $140,000 to get her business off the ground, including $40,000 in startup costs and $30,000 in savings for the first three to six months.

By March, online donations alone surpassed the $55,000 goal, with even more customers offering to donate items to sell online or their professional skills to reduce some startup costs, Rettig said. In a few cases, people even attached notes to paper bills and slipped it into the Books on B mail slot, Rettig said.

As of Tuesday, Rettig’s online fundraising campaign on Indiegogo had raised $68,855.

“There’s a dollar value but there’s a deeper one, and it just keeps on going,” Rettig said.

Neighboring downtown Hayward businesses even offered to chip in, including Brews & Brats, Los Compadres Restaurant and Buffalo Bill’s Brewery. The amount of support, Rettig said, “made me realize just how important this is.”

“People felt the need and rose to the occasion, and that’s the most powerful thing about this: People were willing to not let something die because they saw an opportunity in which they could make a difference,” Rettig said.

“Each person together has been a powerful instrument of change, which is great because I think we all feel powerless in this world. This world can be a dark, dangerous and volatile place, and I wanted to make a harbor,” she said.

The future Books on B store is a clean slate now that most of the demolition work is done and a fresh coat of paint on the walls have dried.

In the coming months, people will likely see elements of The Book Shop integrated into the Books on B space, such as The Book Shop’s tall bookshelves and an original store sign made by The Book Shop’s first owners, Virginia and Ken MacKenzie. Books on B will even have a stock of used books on hand; ones meticulously selected and bought by Rettig from The Book Shop before it closed.

“I remember when there were horses that would be ridden downtown from the Hayward hills,” Rettig said.

“There’s an element of the Wild West and a free-thinking spirit that still happens here, and I want to make sure that we have a place where people feel free to express themselves because that was always allowed as long as you were nice,” she said.

Contact Darin Moriki at 510-293-2480 or follow him at Twitter.com/darinmoriki.

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED:

Visit Books on B’s online campaign page at: http://bit.ly/2mEBU1r.