A Culver City literary drought, slightly less conspicuous than California’s, soon may end.
Speaking on behalf of his wife Alice, a poet, the global entrepreneur Renato Romano said this morning that “we think it is a shame there are no bookstores in Culver City.”
He proposes to resolve that cultural deficit.
In less than a month, Mr. Romano hopes to close a deal with a Northern California company to open a bookstore on the Downtown property he owns adjacent to Pacific Theatres.
If the bookstore materializes, it would be the first such business in Downtown in half a century.
Mr. Romano credits Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells, and her husband Karim Sahli, with introducing him to the prospective investors.
His target date is May 15, before he flies to the Cannes Film Festival in France.
Formerly a Culver City business owner, Mr. Romano these days divides his time between Washington and New York.
He explained how the bookstore idea evolved.
“My wife is a poet, and she is on the board of a well-known organization in New York,” Mr. Romano said. “She is involved in many writers’ associations.
“We would like to give some of that space to a bookstore company that can open up there,” at 9432 Washington Blvd.
Mr. Romano said the nearness of Lin Howe Elementary is another appealing aspect of the location. “It also is ideal to have a bookstore next to the theatres,” he said.
