Ray Bradbury on Long Beach’s Acres of Books

The building where the landmark bookstore Acres of Books is located has been acquired by the city for redevelopment and the store must vacate by next May. This fact provoked a stern protest from secondhand bookstore-lover and acclaimed sci-fi author Ray Bradbury:

"If this place could be kept here, if you're going to build a mall, they should build it around here. They should be the center of the mall. They should be a shrine. They should have a crucifix up in front. I will come and bless the goddamn place. And I mean that. I want this store to remain here and they can build a mall around it...It should be surrounded by other fascinating stores. It shouldn't be moved. It shouldn't be changed because it's the best bookstore in Long Beach and one of the best in California."