A Great Good Place for Books in Oakland, Calif., is set to close in mid-June.

For more than two decades, a Great Good Place for Books has been a staple of Oakland’s Montclair Village, hosting countless reading groups and author talks. Now, the independent shop is winding down its operations, owner Kathleen Caldwell says. The store’s last day will be in mid-June.

Caldwell, 62, announced in April that she was calling it quits. The reason was financial, Caldwell told SFGATE.

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“When you’re putting more money in than you’re taking out, you need to really evaluate whether it’s viable,” she said.

Business had been slowing since last July, Caldwell said, but its prospects really soured in January, when it became apparent that........

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