Oakland’s Laurel Book Store to close this summer

A patron shops at Laurel Book Store in Downtown Oakland, Calif. on Tuesday, July 18, 2017. Lauren Stauss has struggled to keep her bookstore in the historic flatiron building open and is afraid it may close. A patron shops at Laurel Book Store in Downtown Oakland, Calif. on Tuesday, July 18, 2017. Lauren Stauss has struggled to keep her bookstore in the historic flatiron building open and is afraid it may close. Photo: James Tensuan / Special To The Chronicle 2017 Photo: James Tensuan / Special To The Chronicle 2017 Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Oakland’s Laurel Book Store to close this summer 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

Laurel Book Store in downtown Oakland will close its doors this summer, four years after opening in the revitalized neighborhood near City Hall.

“Oakland is one of the most diverse and dynamic cities anywhere,” the store’s owner, Luan Stauss, wrote in a letter posted on Facebook. “The growth is evident with all the cranes on the skyline. But retail in the downtown area is a challenge.”

Stauss said she won’t renew the store’s lease when it expires at the end of August. She relocated to 1423 Broadway — after 13 years in the Laurel district — to have a space that was four times the size of the original 900-square-foot shop. She had hoped that the location, in the landmark 1907 Lionel J. Wilson Building, would attract passersby.

Last year, Stauss mounted a campaign to raise $30,000 to stay in business. However, she wrote, “Ongoing sales have not been enough to meet expenses comfortably.”

Two other bookstores remain in the neighborhood: E.M. Wolfman General Interest Small Bookstore, at 410 13th St., and Bibliomania, at 1816 Telegraph Ave.

John McMurtrie is The San Francisco Chronicle’s book editor. E-mail: jmcmurtrie@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @McMurtrieSF