Serendipity helped local couple start popular store

Published in the December 23, 2015 – January 5, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Robert Airoldi

Photo by Marty Cheek Brad Jones and Cinda Meister in the toy section at BookSmart.

Photo by Marty Cheek
Brad Jones and Cinda Meister in the toy section at BookSmart.

Brad Jones and Cinda Meister always wanted to own a business in downtown Morgan Hill. When they moved here 25 years ago, they opened Mushrooms Grill and Bar on Main Avenue. But when their business partners retired five years later, they decided to sell. Looking for another opportunity, serendipity made an appearance.

One day, Jones noticed a woman putting a sign on the door. “I knew by her body language it wasn’t a good sign,” Jones said. “I waited until she left, then read the sign that said they were going out of business.”

So he brought Cinda to the storefront and showed her the sign affixed to the door.

“It’s an opportunity to do what we wanted and that was to open a bookstore in the downtown,” he said of that store born on the corner of Second Street and Monterey Road.

They had very little capital. They found a San Jose warehouse that carried bestsellers and magazines.

“We went shopping with credit cards and bought books,” Jones said. “We sold five the first day, then went back and bought more. That’s how we started.”

Today that store is much more than books. It also has a toy section, “the best hot dogs and ice cream in town” and a meeting place for the community. BookSmart grew into an iconic store in the South Valley.

“We strive to be the third place for people to gather,” Jones said. “They have their homes and work but they need someplace else to gather and meet friends and neighbors in an environment that fosters thinking and education.”

After two decades in business the couple — who met while working in the same restaurant in Colorado Springs and have now been married 21 years — is facing an uncertain future. The Second Street property known as the Depot Center is slated for development that will include housing and some retail.

“The goal is to find a place for us to continue to go on as a viable business in Morgan Hill, but we don’t know where we’re going to land yet,” Jones said.

The couple has been involved in the community since they moved here.

“It’s important to live in the town where you work,” said Meister, who has served on the board of Charter School of Morgan Hill and will be in next year’s Leadership Morgan Hill class. Jones has been involved with the Morgan Hill Downtown Association for the past 25 years. He’s also volunteered with Freedom Fest.

Both said the importance of an independent bookstore in a community’s downtown is vital for residents. Fortunately, developers are also taking notice.

“It’s pretty widespread throughout the country now with major developers trying to recruit independent bookstores into their retail mix because it is an important place for the community,” Jones said.

Sure, more and more people are buying books online or reading on Kindles, but there’s something to be said about bookstores.

“You can buy books online,” Jones said. “But you can’t buy the experience or the service,” Meister added.

The couple insist they plan to continue serving the community’s needs one way or another.

“Our crystal ball is pretty hazy right now, but our intent to relocate depends on what is available when the time comes,” Meister said. “We’re not ready to go away yet.”

BookSmart

Location: 80 E. Second St.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Contact: (408) 778-6467, or visit www.mybooksmart.com