That revolutionary spirit grew from the couple's formative years in the late 1960s, when they were both fighting to advance the rights of Asian Americans. "Books are what make revolution," Beatrice says, and the couple's vision when they bought the store in 1996 was to develop a place "that used books and reading and knowledge to create unity, and to be able to bring people more and more into the movement to change the world." While they're used to seeing this place packed with literature, Eastwind was never just about the books. They're both in their 70s and have aging parents to care for – and last weekend, they shut the doors for the final time. Now, Harvey and his wife Beatrice, the store's co-owner, have decided to close the shop. "The wall over there on the left, there was a section with social movements, activism, LGBTQ studies, also art books on origami, books on gardening, a religion section, philosophy section, Chinese medicine, martial arts," he says.įor decades, this store was an anchor for the Bay Area's Asian American community.
The bookshelves are gone, dusty shadows on the pale yellow walls the only reminder of how tall they once stood.Ĭo-owner Harvey Dong's voice bounces off the walls, as he recalls the titles that used to fill the shop.
The narrow storefront on University Avenue that once housed Eastwind Books of Berkeley now sits empty.
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