The bookish dragon overlooking Southwest First Street will soon end his watch as Jan’s — an independent bookstore in downtown Beaverton — looks for a new spot to call home.
For six years, Jan’s has sold books out of a red-brick storefront bathed in natural light from tall, arched windows in downtown Beaverton. Owner Lori Carroll — the third person to run the bookstore after it opened in the 1980s — came out of the COVID-19 pandemic with a strengthened sense of community and created a social space that doesn’t demand anything from those who wander in.
“Independent bookstores are huge in any community because you provide a space for all generations to have a social activity that doesn’t require anything of them,” Carroll said. “They can just come in and they can visit, and they can browse, and they can talk about interests. They can escape whatever it is that they’re doing in real life. There’s no need to be prepared.”
But after three years without an increase in rent, it all came at once in October, pricing Jan’s out of the space to the tune of $4,000 each month.
“We tried, and we’re just not making it,” Carroll said. “So rather than bury ourselves and have to close, we’re gonna move and try to get a space that’s more affordable for the store.”
It’s sad, Carroll said, because she thought downtown Beaverton would be the store’s forever home. But as she looks for a new spot, it's the community that Jan’s has fostered that weighs the most.
During the pandemic, Carroll realized Jan’s was some people’s only social outlet. The store is also a place where the local queer community can feel safe — a rarity for those individuals, Carroll said. Jan’s even has a few canine fans, like Scapino, who visits twice a day, every day to curl up with a blanket in one of the (many) cozy corners of the shop.
“When (customers) came in here, this was the only place that they came, and I could make them feel safe, and I could make them feel welcome, and that was something that we could do,” Carroll said. “And so I take the weight of that very seriously.”
Finding a new place for Jan’s has been tricky. Carroll is looking at anything east of Cornelius Pass Road and east of the Willamette River, and has found a few options that work… almost.
“It’s one of the reasons we made the decision to go into storage instead of going into a spot,” Carrol said. “It’s like (each option) almost works, and we could do it if we had to, but it wouldn’t be great and then you face maybe just having to move in a couple years anyway, because it didn’t quite work.”
Carroll said the new store has to have three things: double doors to fit Jan’s custom rolling bookcases, a parking lot and other features that make the store accessible to the many people who use mobility aids mobility and are part of the Jan’s community. The size of the storefront is less of a concern, which Carroll said surprises people.
It’s likely Jan’s could move to Tigard. Carroll said the city’s downtown association has already reached out to her.
But for now, some of Jan’s will move into storage, and the rest will move into the back of Arcade Book Exchange in Hillsboro, which Carroll took over in July after the former owner retired. The stores will still remain distinct, and the relocated Jan’s selection will be open for browsing and carrying out orders.
“If I didn’t have that option, I’d be more likely to just shoehorn into a spot,” Carroll said. “But I have the opportunity to give the store space to find the perfect spot.”
The last day to browse at the Beaverton location is Aug. 25, and then the race is on to move everything out by Aug. 31 when the store’s lease ends.
To help fund the move and storage, Carroll started a GoFundMe campaign, which has raised over $12,000 of its $20,000 goal. Anything extra will cover any potential renovations needed in the new space.
“By no means am I making decisions for me. This is not for me; I am making the decision for the community as a whole,” Carroll said. “I want to put us in a space that serves all of us as much as possible, and that is why I don’t want to rush and find the next space.”
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