SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – One of the country's first Asian-American bookstores is closing in Berkeley after 41 years of business.
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Eastwind Books of Berkeley is a humble bookstore at the bustling intersection of Shattuck and University avenues. It has been a major source for Asian American literature, Asian Studies, Ethnic Studies, Language Learning, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Martial Arts books since 1982.
Harvey Dong is the Co-Owner of Eastwind Books, along with his wife Beatrice Dong, and as well as a lecturer in the Asian-American and Asian Diaspora Studies Program at UC Berkeley. Harvey isn't just a bookstore owner or teacher, he's also a living legend in the Bay Area activism world.
"I was actually one of the student strikers here at UC Berkeley when the TWLF Strike began in 1969, following the lead of the S.F. State TWLF strike, which began in 1968," he told KCBS Radio's "Bay Current." "So I took part in establishing some of the first classes taught here in ethnic studies, Asian-American studies."
As the couple approached retirement, Harvey and Beatrice made the difficult decision to close the bookstore. "We've been fighting rent increases," Harvey said. "The gentrification is happening very rapidly."
The last day for Eastwind Books of Berkeley is April 14. Moving forward, the couple plans on refocusing their energy on online sales and events in the community. "We know that we're a legacy bookstore, but at the same time, it's difficult to survive given that much of the book sales has been changed," he explained. "Online buying has been more the norm now compared to when we first started."
The bookstore's sister nonprofit, Eastwind Books Multicultural Organization, will continue to host events and publish books on the Eastwind website. Harvey said he wished he could have found someone to take over the shop, but as time wound down, there were no buyers.
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