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“We thought we were about to sign a great lease, and, instead, we were told that the building was being sold for cash in 30 days,” Warwick explained.
Warwick’s landlord of about 80-100 years had decided to sell the building, but some quick thinking and some savvy customers came to the rescue.
The owners of the building had an offer from someone willing to pay $8.6 million. Warwick’s had about 10 days to figure out what to do.
Investors Jack McGrory and Steve Avoyer decided to match that offer. They were helped along by other community members who also wanted to invest in Warwick’s.
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Warwick’s calls itself the oldest bookstore in America continuously owned and operated by the same family. This is its 125th year in business, the last 70 of them in a building on Girard Avenue in La Jolla.
A couple of months ago, fourth-generation owner Nancy Warwick got unexpected news that made her wonder how much longer the store would be in existence.
Her longtime landlord had received an unsolicited, $8.3 million bid all cash to buy the building. The landlord had accepted. Warwick, who had been negotiating a new lease, was given 15 days to beat the offer or face an uncertain future with a new landlord.