About us

1960-2011

Virginia and Ken MacKenzie opened The Book Shop in downtown Hayward in April 1960. These well-known Castro Valley residents, making career changes, bravely wanted to run a book store. (A similar book store also tried downtown for a while but did not survive.) Virginia and Ken made The Book Shop a success through Virginia’s warmth, Ken’s hard work, and the natural delights of a friendly, welcoming hometown book store selling new and used books.

The Book Shop opened at 22554 Main Street, in a small building now gone, next to a busy feed and seed shop. Virginia immediately used The Book Shop to benefit the arts community of the Eden Area. Precious book-selling space at the back of the shop became an art gallery for local emerging artists to exhibit their art publically, often for the first time. Virginia, herself a superb nature photographer, ultimately encouraged many dozens of artists by featuring their work. Several of Virginia’s own beautiful photographic prints still adorn The Book Shop walls.

In 1981 Virginia and Ken moved The Book Shop to 982 B Street. They hoped to benefit from a busier location, more street traffic, and a chance to re-introduce the Book Shop to a wider circle. These included people going to and from BART, heading to Tom Dalldorf’s Vintage Wine Cellar with its “Too Hip for Hayward” sandwich, and using other popular downtown stores.

In early 1989 Hank Maschal walked into The Book Shop, seeking a book about starting a used book store. “How about this one?” asked Virginia. She and Ken were ready to retire. By May 1989, on a handshake deal, Hank bought The Book Shop. In 1992 he moved The Book Shop just a block away to 1007 B Street, once a longtime Rexall Drugstore, in the classic Green Shutter Hotel. In a masterful bucket brigade (actually a book-box brigade) of dedicated friends of The Book Shop, all books were moved into the new shop in one day.

Hank maintained the personal tone and individuality of The Book Shop established by Virginia and Ken. A few minor alternations: Hank moved the art gallery to the shop’s front window, where it’s been ever since. The art display changes every month, and has a 12-month waiting list.

In 1995, young Renee Rettig walked into The Book Shop looking for her first fulltime job, and never left. Renee and Hank have pretty much staffed the store, with some excellent part-time help. Renee’s outgoing personality and Hank’s cultivated grumpy-old-man gruffness made an entertaining contrast which helped keep customers amused or bemused, and business flowing.

In 2009 Hank finally felt it was time for him to retire. Four longtime Book Shop patrons– Carl and Marilyn Baker-Madsen (longtime City of Hayward employees) and Alison and Sherman Lewis (longtime Hayward area community figures) -- had talked with Hank for years about the Book Shop. When Hank finally hinted yes, they madly scrambled to close the deal. (Yes, they also used a book about how to start a used book store, just as Hank had wanted 20 years earlier.) On July 1, 2009, Carl, Marilyn, Alison, and Sherman took over the Book Shop, with Renee at their right hand. Other part-time staff, both new and from previous years, also have come along for the ride. At fifty-one years old, The Book Shop is one of the oldest businesses in Hayward. The Book Shop is moving into the electronic age, with a web site, on-line book sales, electronic register, computerized stock management, and so on. Author events, book talks, and other meetings are in the works. Yet at The Book Shop, patrons still find the friendliness and sense of community, the strength of many community supporters, and the devotion to books which have made this shop a magnet in Hayward.