“What kind of life can you have in a house without books?” – Sherman Alexie
After 12 years operating a rare/vintage book sales business at 755-1/2 Carlsbad Village Drive, fourth-generation Carlsbad native Sean Christopher was unexpectedly served with a 60-day eviction notice last month. Without a reprieve from his landlord, Christopher has until mid-November to vacate the property, which is both a stand-alone business and an adjoining home, where the single father has lived for the past decade with his 10-year-old son, Jack.
His landlord, San Juan Capistrano City Manager Ben Siegel, declined to comment on why the eviction was served or what plans he has for the property, saying only in an email: “Unfortunately, I cannot comment on the matter due to pending litigation.”
The hidden gem quality of Lhooq Books — which Christopher named after “L.H.O.O.Q.,” a tongue-in-cheek 1919 artwork by Marcel Duchamp — has made it a darling with travel writers and bloggers. It’s been written up in The New York Times, the “Hidden San Diego” website and in a local arts crawl guide.
“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” – Ray Bradbury