Dutton's Books

Dutton's Books was among "the best-known and best-loved of Los Angeles’ independent bookstores," known for its friendly and knowledgeable staff, sizeable and affordable used and rare book collection. There were four locations; two in the San Fernando Valley, one in Brentwood, California and another in Beverly Hills, California.

Bill and Thelma Dutton opened the first shop on New Year’s Day 1961, in a former liquor store on the corner of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Magnolia Boulevard. In the mid-70s, their son Dave and his wife Judy took the reigns of that store, and a second Burbank location, offering such unique services as book buyback, book signings, and in-store reading events with community authors. Dave and Judy were extremely knowledgeable and happy to speak with customers regarding literature, Southern California history or any other topic. The store also provided books for various movie and television shows. Steady customers, friendly staff and the welcoming owners, made the store an ideal place to while away a Sunday afternoon.

In 1984 Judy & Dave's son, Doug Dutton, opened a third location in Brentwood, California that included a staff poet in Scott Wannberg. In 2004 Doug opened a fourth location in Beverly Hills, California.

As with most independent bookstores, the impact of Amazon led to the closing of the Burbank store in 2005, Valley Village in 2006, Beverly Hills in 2007, and finally Brentwood in 2008. The loss of Dutton's was a blow to customers and authors alike; among them Carolyn See, Mona Simpson, Jodie Foster, Dustin Hoffman, Richard Price and Roger Corman.

Further reading

• Ostroff, Ron (27 November 1989), "Independent sellers are making a comeback", Los Angeles Daily News, p. b11, Factiva lad0000020011116dlbr009gh

References

• Appleford, Steve (March 7, 2006). "Dutton's gets a sendoff". The Valley Observed. America's Suburb. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
• Hillard, Gloria (March 22, 2006). "Final Chapter for a Beloved Indie Bookstore". NPR. Retrieved October 1, 2019.