(Wisdom Quarterly) The loss of Bodhi Tree, LA's spiritual mecca, is tragic. I grew up building an extensive collection of Buddhist texts (now in the thousands) in its large Buddhist section. Moreover, many of us learned so much at the Bodhi Tree Annex -- the adjacent building where authors came to present and sign their latest books. There's no place like this bookstore. It's been offering far more than books for decades. It's the best independent bookstore in southern California. Just the atmosphere, a reading library, a used book building, shelves of herbs, spiritual objects from around the world, gongs, pyramids, jewelry, CDs, and great people to rub elbows with. Who will buy the inventory and keep the name going?
Bodhi Tree is Closing: Bad News for Buddhists
Bad news for Buddhists and others seeking enlightenment: the Bodhi Tree Bookstore is closing. Owners Phil Thompson and Stan Madson informed their staff last Wednesday that the cozy Melrose Avenue shop, a nationally renowned and much beloved spiritual center, will be shutting its doors in a year's time.
Paris Hilton shopping at Bodhi Tree with her fake Buddhist monk spiritual advisor
After some eight months of discussion, Thompson and Madson decided to sell the property to a local business owner who leases space to several other nearby retailers. The Bodhi Tree opened in 1970. Land values in the area have risen dramatically since then. Meanwhile, the business of selling print books has been on a steady decline.
For years, real estate agents had been circling the Bodhi Tree like vultures. In the end, selling the property became a much more profitable option than continuing to sell books. Thompson and Madson started the bookstore when they were in their 30's. They are now both in their early 70's. They were aerospace engineers who left a life of science for one of contemplation and meditation. More>>
- Bodhi Tree Bookstore
Bodhi Tree is a bookstore specializing in books on metaphysics, Eastern and Western religions, and personal growth. Events - Contact - Map - Reading Lists - About - Photos - A New Earth - Conversations Under the Bodhi Tree
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