Goodbye, Kate's Mystery Books

While I can't say I am surprised, the news that Kate's Mystery Books in Cambridge will be closing its doors next month still saddens me greatly. Owner Kate Mattes explained her reasoning to the Porter Square Neighbors List (reprinted by Ron Newman):

Many of you have been aware that I have had the building which houses the store on the market for awhile. I have finally sold it. I of course have mixed feelings about this but know it is the right decision for me. The new owners have allowed me to stay on for a while but Kate's Mystery Books will be closing on August 1st. Between now and then, everything in the store will be sold at 25% off. On Saturday, August 1st, we will be having a packing party from 11-5 AND we will also have our Annual Yard Sale (books $1 and under) at the same time.

I hope you can get in in the next few weeks to say good-bye although I won't actually disappear. We will be having author events at different venues and of course we will have the annual holiday party so there will be opportunities for the mystery community to get together. You will get notices of them from me.

It is sad though to close the store. I hope you can join us on August 1st to celebrate the good times we have had and to help pack everything up. I know we can do it, as we have done it before. (Remember the bus?)

It is been a true joy for me to have had the opportunity to me such interesting and diverse people and i will definitely miss you.

Best, Kate

I'm glad to hear Kate won't be disappearing from the mystery world entirely (and I suspect the holiday party this year will be filled to the brim with writers and well-wishers, wherever it is held) but the store was long on my must-visit list and exceeded every expectation when I finally did a few years ago. So raise a glass or two for me at the August 1 party - and for the community as a whole.

UPDATE: Clair Lamb has more information about the news and the August 1 book sale: "Even Kate's not quite sure about everything she's got; she has titles in her back room, outside public view, that collectors dream about, and it's quite possible that some of these titles will be available for sale at this event."

UPDATE 2: The Boston Globe picks up the story after a telephone interview with Mattes: 

Mattes said that the thing that prompted the move was the death of her brother, a book agent, about five years ago. “He was a really big part of the store. I could just pick up the phone and call him’’ for advice. After he died, he left a big trove of books, and Mattes was the only one in her family who had any idea what to do with them.

“I started thinking about things, and decided that I couldn’t do this to my sister and her kids,’’ she said. So she started thinking about getting things in order. One of the first things she decided to do was to try to sell the building. That way she could potentially reopen the store in a new location and get a place to live separate from the store, hopefully making it easier to dispose of her property when the time came.

And more from the Globe's print edition and the Boston Herald.

Comments

[Jerry House]

Sad to hear this. Kate's is a very special place and Kate is a very special person. I wish her the very best for the future.

[Olen Steinhauer]

I agree that this is a shame. I visited her last summer and felt immediately at home in those walls with those stacks of books her as my guide. I told Hector, my PR minder, "This is the kind of place that makes me want to move back to the States, and pronto." But as she points out, she won't be disappearing from the scene, and I don't doubt that for a second.

[Karin Isles, Concord, Vermont]

I was so sorry the last time I visited Cambridge (November) to see a dumpster and heavy equipment in Kate's front yard. I've bought countless mysteries there, and passed on many fewer to other readers via Kate's terrific willingness to acquire used books. The store was a wonderful place to hunt for old favorite authors and to find new possibilities - plus a chance for conversation with Kate or with other customers. Hopefully, there will be a successor place to recapture the homey, comfortable atmosphere which Kate created.