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The Bodhi Tree Bookstore

The Bodhi Tree Bookstore, originally The Bodhi Tree Book and Tea Shop, was an independent bookstore specializing in World Religions, Wisdom traditions, Metaphysics, Psychology, Philosophy, and Health. It was founded in 1970 in Los Angeles, California (in the area which eventually incorporated as West Hollywood, California in 1984). According to records, the Bo-Tree or Bodhi Tree refers to the tree of enlightenment under which Gautama sat in meditation until enlightenment came to him and he became a Buddha. The motto of the bookstore was, "Books to Illuminate the Heart and Mind."

The bookstore became widely known through the 1983 book Out On A Limb by Shirley MacLaine and the subsequent 1987 television series of the same name. In her book MacLaine declares that her "decision to visit an unusual bookstore [the Bodhi Tree Bookstore] was one of the most important decisions of my life." The Bodhi Tree Bookstore was located at 8585 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, California, near the Pacific Design Center. The bookstore closed its physical location on December 31, 2011 and continued – under new ownership – as an online bookstore thereafter.

In May of 1994, the bookstore and the co-owners received numerous commendations: the bookstore was named Business of the Year in 1994 by the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce; the co-owners – Stan Madson and Phil Thompson – were both honored with Certificates of Recognition from the California State Senate – signed by California State Senator Tom Hayden – in recognition of their "extraordinary contribution of knowledge in art and spirituality and excellence in service to the city of West Hollywood and its citizens"; and the co-owners were named the 1994 Business Persons of the Year by the City of West Hollywood. The bookstore served as the "seed center" for information about events, teachers, practitioners, and places for the spiritual community at large. It had the reputation of being "the spiritual heart" of Los Angeles.

Founding and Early Years (1970s)

This photo shows the exterior of the Bodhi Tree Bookstore as seen from Westbourne Avenue in the early 1970s.

The Bodhi Tree Bookstore was founded on July 10, 1970 by Dan Morris, Stan Madson, and Phil Thompson, who were former aerospace engineers. The original name of the bookstore was the Bodhi Tree Book and Tea Shop. When the bookstore incorporated in 1972, the name changed to the Bodhi Tree Bookstore.

This photos shows the interior of the Bodhi Tree Bookstore as it was circa 1970s.

It was at a time of sweeping challenges to society brought about by the Beat Generation, the Vietnam War, political assassinations, psychedelics, flower children, hippies, and The Beatles. A spiritual community was emerging infused by the "Wisdom of the Ages" or the "Perennial Philosophy." Spiritual books drawn from all sources were not readily available in most bookstores. The Bodhi Tree Bookstore gathered them together and made them accessible. There was the sense that the wisdom contained in the books stocked by the bookstore could transform not only oneself and the community but society as a whole – governments would mature and the entire cosmos would be better for all.

The Bodhi Tree bookstore was located at 8585 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, CA. It was a stucco, flat-roofed building, originally a two-bedroom residence that had been converted into commercial property. The neighborhood was residential but Melrose Avenue itself was low key commercial, consisting of a number of one- or two-story buildings containing a variety of businesses, primarily antique shops. Two blocks away to the West was a large open area occupied by the sprawling Anawalt Lumber yard fronted by a number of small shops. In 1975, the property became the Pacific Design Center, sometimes referred to as the "Blue Whale." It was an award winning building designed by architect César Pelli. On La Cienega, East of the bookstore was the famous antiquarian bookstore, the Red Barn, of Zeitlin and Ver Brugge with proprietors Jacob Zeitlin and his wife Josephine Ver Brugge Zeitlin.

This photo shows the exterior of the entryway at the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in the 1970s. Gathered on the front steps to the bookstore entrance are the owners and employees.

Starting in 1971, the Bodhi Tree Bookstore featured a number of bookstore Tuesday night and Sunday public events where authors, educators, spiritual leaders, or musicians would make presentations. On one evening, Nan Fuchs, the famous Herb Lady, spoke on Herbs and the Body. On another evening, D. W. Harding, author of On Having No Head, gave an informal lecture on the possibilities of losing one’s own head (or ego). Another well attended event was by Herb Soloman who gave an introduction and demonstration of the Arica Work. The Arica Work was originated by Óscar Ichazo in South America in the 1950s. There was a musical presentation of classical guitar with contemporary songs of Spirit written and performed by Timmy Garon. Dr. Giovanni Boni conducted a Conversation on Homeopathy. Art Kunkin, owner and publisher of the Los Angeles Free Press was a Gurdjieff student, a practicing alchemist, and was deeply read in the Western spiritual material and hermetica. Art Kunkin presented Can We Tell a Real Teacher from a Not So real One? Vimala Thakar gave a talk called Towards Total Transformation. Chӧgyam Trungpa made two public talks The Battle of the Ego and The Open Way held at the Embassy Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles and presented a talk at the Bodhi Tree Bookstore. Trungpa was a meditation master and holder of both the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages, and was the Eleventh Trungpa-tulku. Maezumi Roshi, head of the Los Angeles Zen Center, presented Zen Buddhism in America: What is Zen in America Today and How Is It Practiced. The Yasutani Roshi (1885-1973) gave a dharma talk. He spoke in Japanese and was translated by Taizan Maezumi Roshi, As the founder of Sanbo Kyodan and one of the teachers of Taizan Maezumi, Yasutani was an influential person in bringing Zen practice to the west. These Tuesday and Sunday presentations became a habitual gathering place at the Bodhi Tree Bookstore and served as an educational tool for the wide proliferation of spiritual work and about the people who were doing it.

One of the founding members, Dan and Marj Morris decided to leave the bookstore for personal reasons and as of August 1972, Stan Madson and Phil Thompson became the bookstore proprietors. Madson and Thompson formed the corporation "Bodhi Tree Bookstore, Inc" on November 30, 1972. By 1972, with a growth in customers, the bookstore began to hire additional staff. The starting pay was $2.00 (USD) per hour. Four people joined the staff. By 1973, the staff was seven people.

During the 1970s, the people of Los Angeles were becoming aware of the Bodhi Tree Bookstore and newspaper and magazine articles about the bookstore began to appear. An article called "Spellbinders for the Mystic Arts" by John Fleischman was published in the Los Angeles Times on November 1, 1972. The article reported on the rise of interest in the 'occult', 'esoterica', or 'mysticism' in the Los Angeles area. Fleischman declared that "The Bodhi Tree Book and Tea Shop... is the city's key occult specialty bookstore." The February 1975 issue of Los Angeles Magazine featured an article by Devra Hill Zucker about "Romantic Places" in Los Angeles in which she included The Bodhi Tree Bookstore: "Three aerospace engineers converted this Spanish-style Melrose Avenue home into a bookstore with a strong Eastern bent. The Bodhi Tree embraces all directions of spiritual awakening and is also a place to read among plants and sip a complimentary herb tea." In 1976, an article appeared in The Movement (ISSN 0889-776X), published by Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, in which the author, Vicki Marriot, profiled the bookstore. Marriot self-described the article as being "about the people who created this sanctuary or book oasis in the middle of Los Angeles. Today, the Bodhi Tree can be considered one of, if not the main source of literature on consciousness, a term which extends from occult sciences and mysticism (East and West) to psychology, self-healing, Tai-Chi, and more."

Bodhi Tree Used Book Store (1975)

In 1975, Areta Ferrell, owner of the clothing store at 606 Westbourne Avenue, directly adjacent to the Bodhi Tree Bookstore, closed her business. The Bodhi Tree Bookstore took over the building lease and on September 18, 1975 opened The Used Book part of the Bodhi Tree Bookstore. The bookstore was now in the additional business of buying and selling used books as well as new books.

By 1976, a creative spiritual movement was sweeping California and moving Eastward at a rapid pace. Evidence of this growth was demonstrated by the growth of listings in the Spiritual Community Guide: The New Consciousness Sourcebook (ISSN 0160-0354) first published in 1972 with a home office in San Rafael, California. The 1975-1976 edition – which had grown to a 192 page paperback – included several spiritual essays were presented by the principal spiritual teachers of the time: Swami Satchidananda, Master Subramuniya, Alan Watts, Meher Baba, Dr. Rammuti Mishra, Ram Dass (Richard Alpert), Dolma, Romert Amacer, Dr. Ann Wigmore, Kahuna Ka’Ona, Russ Michael, Ken Keyes, Franklin Jones (Da Free John), Swami Kriyananda, Werner Erhard, Albert Einstein (mystical relativity), Eric Perlman, Yogi Bhajan, Jiyu Kennett Roshi, Arica Institute, Allaudin Mathieu, Bhagavan Shree Rajneesh (Osho), Brad Parker, Lama Govinda, Rabbi Zalman Schachter, Swami Muktananda, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Timothy Leary, Kirpal Singh, Father Brian Brinkerhoff, and Pir Vilayat Khan. All these spiritual teachers' full array of books were stocked in the Bodhi Tree Bookstore. It became common practice for general bookstores in the Southern California area to respond to their customer inquiries for spiritual books by suggesting that they go to the Bodhi Tree Bookstore.

This photo shows the exterior of the Bodhi Tree Used Book Store (aka, "Used Book Branch") as it appeared circa 1975.

The Bodhi Tree Bookstore grew into a flourishing landmark with its roots strongly grounded in the spiritual community. The bookstore was composed of four buildings: The New Books building fronting on Melrose Avenue, the Used Book building fronting on Westbourne Drive, and two storage buildings. Then, in 1979, the land and buildings of the Bodhi Tree Bookstore were purchased.

In 1979, two New Yorkers, Frank Brady, author, critic, and teacher, and Joann Lawless, critic, poet, and author of children’s books, published the Brady & Lawless Favorite Bookstores (ISBN 9780836279023). Their choices were not comprehensive but discriminating. The Bodhi Tree Bookstore was one of their favorite bookstores.

Expansion and Increased Notoriety (1980s and 1990s)

The Bodhi Tree Bookstore was an information center for the spiritual community. In 1980, the booklet Bodhi Tree Directory: a Guide to Community Resources was published and updated yearly. The Bodhi Tree Directory grew to have over 51 subject areas, including Animals, Acupuncture, Astrology, Book Binding, Bookstores, Bookstores International, Bookstores-New Age, Buddhist Centers, Course-In Miracles, Crystals, Diet & Nutrition, General Occult, Gurdjieff, Homeopathy, Human Development, I Ching, Meditation, Native American & Shamanism, Numerology, Psychics, rebirthing, Religions, restaurants –Vegetarian, Spiritual Centers, Tarot, Trance Medium Channeling, Women’s Studies, and Yoga. 2,000 copies were published for each issue.

By 1980, with continuing growth, the Bodhi Tree Bookstore staff was now 34 people. The starting pay was $4.00 per hour.

In 1981, The Los Angeles Times published an article called Bookstore Offers a Way Station for Minds: Eclectic Readers Can find Signposts Pointing East and West by John Dart, Times Religion Writer. In the article he wrote, "As a bookstore, the Bodhi Tree can be a sensuous experience, offering the taste of free herb tea, the sound of soft unelevator music, the chance to sit while book browsing, and the scent of incense. As a well-stocked ‘New Age’ way station, it provides a psychic rest stop between gurus or a simple refueling for eclectic wisdom seeker. In this unofficial way station role, the bookstore is also a sensory device (to blend metaphors) for picking up the direction of mystical-metaphysical traffic and the spiritual-speculative signal away from mainline religion."

The Bodhi Tree Bookstore gained about 1,000 newly published books per year and by 1982, the bookstore was overcrowded. A major remodeling started in 1982, designed by Architect Barry Gittelson, the project added significant floor space, a second story addition, and the Used Book building was improved. The two storage buildings were removed, opening up the rear area for parking. The remodeled result was a distinctive modernist rounded-edge rectangle with a big, round window facing Melrose Avenue near the entrance door, along with a pyramid skylight in the West wing.

In a small area to the rear of the bookstore, grew a Ficus Religosa (Bodhi Tree), given to the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in the early 70s by a neighbor who had raised it from a seed. By 2008, at nearly three stories high, it provided inspiration, shade, and respite – a place where staff gathered to talk, read or rejuvenate.

In 1983 Shirley MacLaine’s book Out On A Limb was published. In the book, she wrote about her study and exploration of reincarnation, trance channeling, and other metaphysical subjects. In one part of the book, she wrote about her experience gathering books at the Bodhi Tree Bookstore and discussing aspects of spirituality with one of the owners of the bookstore. Then in 1986, a six-part video based on the book was presented on national television. Part of the program was filmed at the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in the Used Book building. From the publication of that book, and the television series that followed in 1986/1987, spirituality went mainstream and the Bodhi Tree Bookstore became widely known. The Bodhi Tree Bookstore gained a local, national, and international identity and the number of customers increased dramatically. Many customers desired to explore the same subjects that inspired Shirley MacLaine.

"...Looking back, I can say that making that simple, lazy afternoon decision to visit an unusual bookstore [the Bodhi Tree Bookstore] was one of the most important decisions of my life."

By 1990, the Bodhi Tree Bookstore staff had grown to 70 people.

Bodhi Tree Book Review magazine (1992-2002)

The Bodhi Tree Bookstore published a book review magazine with the first issue appearing in late 1992. Bodhi Tree Bookstore staffers Dana LaFontaine and Mark Kenaston were the creators and first editors along with editorial assistant Mariam Angel. The Book Review was 11 by 14 inches in format, printed on newsprint and 32 to 56 pages long. It contained feature articles by noteworthy authors, best seller lists, and short reviews of recently published books, CDs and video cassettes.

The Book Review started as a quarterly but eventually was published two times a year, in the Spring and Fall. At its peak, 40,000 copies of each issue were printed. About 50% were mailed out to customers and the other 50% given away to customers at the store.

The first issues of the book review featured interviews initiated by the editors, Mark Kenaston and Dana LaFontaine. Issue 1, Fall 1991, contained an interview with the guitar duo of Strunz & Farah that give texture and shape to the sound of their world music.

In Issue 2 Spring 1992 of the Bodhi Tree Book Review magazine, the feature article was an interview with Marianne Williamson called Only Love Is Real, a discourse on "A Course of Miracles." The interview was conducted by Mark Kenaston and Dana Lafontaine. In Issue 3, Summer 1993 of the Bodhi Tree Book Review, the feature article was an interview of Huston Smith by Mark Kenaston. The interview was included in the 2003 book The Way Things Are: Conversations with Huston Smith on the Spiritual Life edited by Phil Cousineau.

In 1993 Dana LaFontaine left the Bodhi Tree Bookstore leaving Mark Kenaston as the sole editor. Then in 1994, Mark Kenaston departed and the primary editor of the book review became Stan Madson with co-editors James Culnan and Camilla Denton. Subsequent book reviews were written by staff (both current and former), particularly Louise Avila, Ivy Camille Sharpe, Dana LaFontaine, and Cheryl Parker, as well as by the editors, James Culnan, Camilla Denton, and Stan Madson. Other book review writers included Paul Austad, Sean Breheny, Jo Carey, Steven Konstantine, Margaret Malloy, Rose Z. Moonwater, Gretchyn Lenger, Kevin M. Maxwell, Lisa Stevenson, T. L. Krishna Streeter, William H. Stroup, and Lisa Tserling. Many of the book and product reviews as well as feature articles were re-edited and appeared on the Bodhi Tree Bookstore website. Publication of the Bodhi Tree Book Review ceased with Issue 28 Fall 2002 issue.

Yoga teacher Larry Payne, founder of the Samata Yoga Center, issued yearly Samata Karma awards. In 1993, Stan Madson and Phil Thompson received the annual Samata Karma award for community service.

The Bodhi Tree Bookstore Meeting Room

In 1994, The Bodhi Tree Bookstore acquired the adjacent storefront at 8383 Melrose Avenue. Early on, the building was occupied by Pesha’s frame shop and a painting restorer. Then, in the 1980s, it was remodeled to become the women’s clothing store Laise Adzer, noted for its layered, flowing white dresses. It was this remodel that resulted in the Moorish design influence of the building. This stand-alone building became an integral part of the Bodhi Tree Bookstore experience as the meeting room for author readings and book signing events, and a wide variety of workshops including Reiki, psychics, travel programs, educational seminars, and metaphysical discourses. About 40-50 events per month were scheduled.

The Bodhi Tree Bookstore offered almost daily events or workshops in the Annex building. It was a large room that seated approximately 65 people. "The Artist’s Way Workshop" conducted by Kelly Morgan was a twelve week lecture series, drawing on the work pioneered by Julia Cameron. The program, designed for creative people in all walks of life, integrated the spiritual path of the artist into ones daily routine using exercises and a supportive group to recover creative flow from excessive self-criticism, perfectionism, jealousy, limiting beliefs, addictions and other inhibiting blocks. Educator Roger Weir taught several cycles of his "Yoga of Civilization". Weir was noted for his dynamic, broad-reaching cosmic lectures that ranged from the most esoteric spiritual teachings to the latest in scientific exploration while planting the seeds of dynamic personal transformation and nurturing self-education. The archived works of Roger Weir can be found at sharedpresencefoundation.org. The Krishnamurti Foundation of America conducted monthly workshops, starting in 2002. They explored the work of J. Krishnamurti, one of the most influential and independent spiritual teachers of the 1900s, by showing one of his archived talks followed by a dialogue discussion. Yudhishtara, the spiritual son of Poonjaji, an enlightened Indian master, conducted monthly meetings (Satsang) to a large group of devotees (30 to 50 people) in the Bodhi Tree Bookstore meeting room. Sacred Poetry, produced by poet Doraine Poretz, presented reading performances of sacred poetry from a variety of traditions and eras of world spirituality.

Some of the notable authors who made book presentations at the Bodhi Tree Bookstore were Carol Adrienne, Robert Aiken, Rhobbin Alexis, Marc Allen, Margot Anand, Lynn Andrews, Ted Andrews, José Argüelles, Angeles Arrien, Marc Ian Barasch, Stephen Batchelor, Brandon Bays, Melody Beattie, Marc Bekoff, Fred Bell, Samuel A. Berne, Betty Bethards, Evalyne Blau, Harold Bloomfield, Jeanne Elizabeth Blum, Ralph Blum, Peter Bogdanovich, Echo Bodine, Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen, Gypsy Boots, Joan Borysenko, Gregg Braden, Barbara Brennan, Rhonda Britten, Edward Espe Brown, Jerry Brown (former Governor of California), Sylvia Browne, Z. Suzsanna Emese Budapest, John Daishin Buksbazen, Julia Cameron, Jack Canfield, Lucia Capacchione, Frijof Capra, Hyla Cass MD, David Chadwick, Mantak Chia, Deepak Chopra, Sonia Choquette, Barbara Hand Clow, Paulo Coelho, Andrew Cohen, K.C. Cole, Terry Cole-Whittaker, Phil Cousineau, Phyllis Curott, Cyndi Dale, Theresa Dale PhD, John Dart, Nancy Cooke de Herrera, David Deida, Joe Dispenza DC, Dorit Cypis, Dr. Larry Dossey, Neil Douglas-Klotz PhD, Oriah Mountain Dreamer, Lon Milo Duquette, Brooke Medicine Eagle, Dr. Masaru Emoto, Don Farber, Steven D. Farmer PhD, Marilyn Ferguson, Georg Feuerstein, Guy Finley, Debbie Ford, Buckminister Fuller, Nancy Garen, Shakti Gawain, Bernie Tetsugen Glassman, Diane Goldner, Amit Goswami, Susan Gregg PhD, Chris Griscom, Graham Hancock, Mark Victor Hansen, Douglas Harding, Thom Hartmann, Andrew Harvey, Jeremy Hayward, Gay Hendricks, James Hillman, Lex Hixon, Stephen A. Hoeller, Eve Eschner Hogan, John Holland, Fiona Horne, Dr. Jean Houston, Laura Huxley, Rogere Jahnke O.M.D., Kat James, Gerald Jampolsky, Susan Jeffers, Victory Jennings, John-Roger & Peter McWilliams, Brugh Joy, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Roger Kamenetz, Charlotte Kasl, Byron Katie, Sam Keen, Soram Singh Khalsa MD, Deborah King, Daphne Rose Kingma, Amelia Kinkade, Jonathan Kirsch, Carolyn Kleefeld, Jack Kornfield, Art Kunkin, Gary Lachman, Jackie Lapin, Frances Moore Lappé & Anna Lappé, Daniel Levin, Noah Levine, Stephen Levine, Bruce Lipton, John Daido Loori, Fabien Maman, Barbara Marcianac, Richard Matheson, Patrick McDonnell, Terence McKenna, Lynne McTaggart, Michael Meade, Drunvalo Melchizedek, Franz Metcalf, Deena Metzger, Dan Millman, Stephen Mitchell, Thomas Moore, Melvin Morse, Robert Moss, Michael Murphy, Caroline Myss, Belleruth Naparstek, Thich Nhat Hanh, Jacob Needleman, James Nemec, Christiane Northrup, Robin Norwood, Judith Orloff, Larry Payne, Bhante Walpola Piyananda, Doraine Poretz, Hugh Prather, Daniel Quinn, Gary Quinn, Sondra Ray, Helen Reddy, James Redfield, Layne Redmond, Rachel Remen MD, Theodore Roszak, Joel Rothschild, Don Miguel Ruiz, Kevin Ryerson, Louis Sahagun, Sharon Salzberg, SARK (Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy), Gahl Sasson, Sarah La Saulle PhD, Dr. Zhi Gang Sha, Peter Mt. Shasta, C. Norman Shealy, Leonard Shlain, Susan Shumsky, Linda Sivertson, Huston Smith, Lama Surya Das, Maledoma Patrice Somé, Starhawk, Jess Stearn, Whitley Strieber, Strunz & Farah, Dick & Tara Sutphen, Stewart & Janet Swerdlow, Russell Targ, Ron Teeguarden, Vimala Thakar, Tulku Thondup, Maya Tiwari, Robert A. F. Thurman, Linda Noble Topf, Eckhart Tolle, Lilian Too, Chӧgyam Trungpa, James Twyman, James Van Praagh, Alberto Villoldo, Doreen Virtue PhD, David Viscott, Mony Vital PhD, Amy Wallace, Brad Warner, Carlos Warter, Richard Webster, Brian Weiss, Roger Weir, Hank Wesselman, Rex Weyler, Marianne Williamson, Michael Wise, Fred Alan Wolf, David Wolfe, Swain Wolfe, Rodney Yee, Meredith Young-Sowers, and Amy Zerner & Monte Farber.

In May 1994, as part of the Small Business week, the Bodhi Tree Bookstore was named the Business of the Year by the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, celebrating 34 years of service to the community. The City of West Hollywood named Stan Madson and Phil Thompson as the Business Persons of the Year. The West Hollywood City representatives were Abbe Land, John Heilman, Sal Gurrielio, Steve Martin, and Paul Koretz. The California State Senate gave the Bodhi Tree Bookstore a Certificate of Recognition signed by Tom Hayden.

Los Angeles area Book Fairs

The Bodhi Tree Bookstore was a founding and participating member of the Los Angeles Times Book Fair. Inaugurated in 1996, the LA Times Book Fair was one of the premium book fairs for the United States drawing large crowds. It featured many well-attended author presentations, hundreds of bookstore booths showing their wares, and several outdoor stages, with author readings and musical events. All the events were free (there was a charge for vehicle parking) but most author events required tickets (distributed free). A children’s book area was very popular with children and their families. The book fair was a two day event on Saturday and Sunday in the latter part of April. Originally held on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, starting in 2011, it moved to the University of Southern California (USC) campus. The Bodhi Tree Bookstore stopped participating in the Los Angeles Times Book Fair after 2008.

The City of West Hollywood (WEHO) was noted for its sense of adventure and originality to create and sustain a vibrant community. In 2002, the City of West Hollywood started a regional West Hollywood Book Fair, modeled upon the highly successful annual Los Angeles Times Book Fair. The West Hollywood Book Fair was held in the fall in the West Hollywood Park and featured author presentations, panel discussions, food booths, performance stages, and bookstalls. The Bodhi Tree Bookstore had a booth at the book fair until the physical bookstore closed at the end 2011. The idea for the WEHO book fair incubated in the office of City of West Hollywood (WEHO) city council member John Heilman with Fran Soloman, assistant to John Heilman. Intern Rosalind (Roz) Helfand and Corey Roskin, a WEHO staff person, were the program managers. The Bodhi Tree Bookstore Events manager Jo Carey, and co-owners Stan Madson and Phil Thompson participated on the planning committee along with West Hollywood Library people, senior citizen group people, and a representative of the Russian community.

Psychic Reading Program

The Bodhi Tree Bookstore Psychic Reading program started in 1998. The psychic staff consisted of 5 people. Readings were done in a covered area between the Annex and New Book buildings. The psychics were Krista Schwimmer (tarot reader, Dreamwork, Animal Divination), Michael Wamback (tarot reader, Dreamwork, Animal Divination), Darrilyn Butler (Astrologer, Tarot reader), Mario Cisneros (Tarot reader, Aura Cleansing), and Linda Michaels (Tarot Reader, Reiki Master). By 2005 the psychic staff was Krista Schwimmer, Michael Wamback, Darrilyn Butler, Linda Michaels, and Joshua Siegal. In 2009, Solaris (Astrology, Tarot, Psychic Channeling) joined the psychic staff.

One of the reasons some people came to the Bodhi Tree Bookstore was because of the resident cat. The Bodhi Tree Bookstore had a reigning cat for several years. The first holder of the crown was "Chubby", a large orange colored male cat. He joined the staff in the 1970s. The second reigning cat was "Little Girl", a friendly long haired multicolored cat. "Little Girl" was much admired. In 1998 In LA Weekly’s Best of LA for the Best Bookstore Cat, "Little Girl" was number 2 – the cat with the most karma. The third holder of the crown, beginning in 1998, was "Tara", again a long hair multi colored female cat. "Tara" became the bookstore "tension tamer". Around 2009, a neighbor cat started coming to the Used Book building and spending the day. Her name was "Lucia". However, her owner was in ill health and when he died, "Lucia" became the resident Used Book cat.

Increased Competition, Contracting Market (2000s and beyond)

In 2000, the Bodhi Tree Bookstore became the official book supplier for Jim Strohecker’s Health World Online. The site offered vast amounts or health information, teaching seminars, and resources, such as selected books. The Bodhi Tree Bookstore was designated to receive online orders, packaged and shipped orders, and took payment.

The Bodhi tree Bookstore staff in 2000, reflecting the struggling economy and increased competition was 52 people. The starting pay was now $8.00 per hour.

For a few months in 2002, bigger than life-size angel statues were sponsored and placed about Los Angeles. Each of them were hand-painted by individual artists. It was called A Community of Angels. One of the artists for the A Community of Angels 2002 project was Diane A. Curran who lived near the Bodhi Tree Bookstore and was a Bodhi Tree Bookstore customer. Her painted angel statue was placed on the front porch of the Used Book Building where it remained for several months. It was named Planetary Angel and on its wings were cosmic symbols on a blue background. The sponsor for Diane A. Curran’s Angel statue was Linda Thompson’s Whimsey Hollow and was dedicated to Tim F. Cronin. A history of the exhibit was published in the book A Community of Angels: Los Angeles 2002 (ISBN 1-883318-27-0)

The Bodhi Tree Bookstore started business before the City of West Hollywood (WEHO) was formed in 1984. By 2005, the bookstore was in its thirty-fifth year of operation. In 2005, WEHO officially recognized the Bodhi Tree Bookstore as one of West Hollywood’s oldest landmarks and a cultural treasure. The bookstore was presented a WEHO scroll at the August 15, 2005 WEHO council meeting signed by Abbe Land, John Heilman, Sal Guarrielio, John J. Duran, and Jeffrey Prang.

An influential person in the ongoing spiritual community was Oprah Winfrey. As a talk show host, television producer, actress, author and philanthropist, her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show broadcast from Chicago from 1986 to 2011, served as the host to many spiritual community personalities such as Dr. Bernard Beckwith, Jack Canfield, Deepak Chopra, Esther Hicks, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Iyanla Vanzant, Eckhart Tolle, Marianne Williamson, and Gary Zukav. In 2008, Winfrey endorsed author and spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle and his book, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. Together they decided to do a once a week Webinar class over a ten week period. It was a world-wide event with Oprah and Tolle discussing each week one chapter of the book and then, through Skype, opening it up to questions from small gatherings of young students in several places around the world. The Bodhi Tree Bookstore served as the host for two of the small gatherings of young students. The Skype meetings were held in the Bodhi Tree Bookstore Used Book building.

Starting in 2008 there was a world-wide financial crisis triggered by banking failures in the United States. By 2009, the nation- and world-wide financial crisis, started to subside, but recovery would be a long time in coming. Detrimental market forces were in play and the Bodhi Tree Bookstore was operating below financial break-even. The long term prognosis for the bookstore’s sales was not bright. The Bodhi Tree Bookstore had been showing a decline in sales for several years. Overall, it was about 40% less than peak sales in the late 1980s. Book sales were moving more and more to other retail establishments and to online booksellers such as Amazon. In addition, digital books were displacing printed books. The Bodhi Tree Bookstore owners decided to retire. An agreement to sell the bookstore property was entered with a closing date of November 2011. The bookstore business was offered to be sold separately.

In January 2010, a full Bodhi Tree Bookstore staff meeting was held by co-owners Stan Madson and Phil Thompson to inform the staff about the arrangement to sell the property and that the bookstore business was to be offered for sale.

The story about the sale of the bookstore property become widely known. Within a few days, LA Weekly ran a headline about the bookstore closing, "Farewell to the Bodhi Tree Bookstore: Old Friend to close this year", an article by Gendy Alimurung. The Los Angeles Times headline was "Booksellers Step Out From Under the Bodhi Tree," an article by Teresa Watanabe. They wrote, "The store on Melrose Avenue, a mecca for spiritualist and philosophers since 1970 has been sold. Its owners hope to find someone to buy their inventory and reopen the store in a new location." The LA Weekly article pointed out that the history of the Bodhi Tree was, in a sense, a history of L.A. Modest store fronts became large glass fronted show rooms. Melrose Avenue became a destination drawing in both locals and tourists. The neighborhood became pricey. Change was inherent and inevitable. For all things, there was a time for growth, for sustaining, then decline and transition. The first newspaper articles gave the impression that the bookstore was closing eminently or was closed already. The Bodhi Tree Bookstore was still in business until the end of 2011. The program of more than forty events per month continued.

The Bodhi Tree Bookstore staff in 2011, reflecting the changing economic situation, was 23 people.

The July 2011 issue of Los Angeles Magazine contained an article by Dave Gadetta called Bodhi Tree, the Bookstore that Enlightened New Age L.A., Readies For Its Final Exit. He began the article with "What happens when a shop peddling matters of the infinite brushes up against its own mortality?" He describes how the Bodhi Tree created a template for New Age browsing when it opened in the 1970s, spawning many similar New Age bookshops throughout Los Angeles and around the country. As New Age went mainstream seekers no longer made the pilgrimage to West Hollywood and Bodhi Tree business declined. Gadetta wrote, "Madson and Thompson –both of whom have struggled with health issues reached the painful decision to sell their enterprise. The property, worth more than the business, sold in 2010. If no takers claim the Bodhi Tree’s name and contents by October, with the provision that the package must be moved elsewhere, the shop will shut down for good. The store that Madson and Thompson are now offering still carries the ancient mysteries promising explanations of the universe."

The Los Angeles Magazine article was followed by another article in the Whole Person Calendar (July-August 2011) that surveyed the span and legacy of the Bodhi Tree Bookstore. The article was called The End of an Era: Bon Voyage to the Bodhi Tree by Sharon Hall. The Bodhi Tree Bookstore had a long history with the Whole Person Calendar. Leslie Snyder, the founder of the Whole Person Calendar worked at the Bodhi Tree Bookstore before she started the monthly magazine that listed the daily events of the spiritual community. The Whole Person Calendar was a free magazine and there was always a stack of them at the front door of the bookstore for customers to grab. It was the "go to" magazine for finding out what was happening in the spiritual community of Southern California. In the article, Sharon Hall wrote, "Bookstores were a place where people of like minds could gather; they were a place where spiritual communities formed and strengthened. Now, after 40 years as proprietors of what may be the best known metaphysical bookstore in the country, the owners are retiring. The beloved Bodhi Tree is moving on to its next incarnation." Stan Madson was quoted as saying, "Things change. There’s the possibility that new energy will take it [the bookstore] in new directions – positive energy. There’s such a change in the world these days with the Internet and communications . . . even the New Age isn’t new age anymore . . . Change is important and it’s inevitable. It would be nice if things went on forever, but they don’t. Certain good things are disappearing or changing into something else. But what is out there is quite exciting and new." There remains a need for community but these days cities have become difficult to get around in. Phil Thompson said, "Well, the area has turned into a really high end retail space. . . Thirty years ago it was a lot easier. People used to come every weekend from 40 or 50 miles away; it wasn’t hard and they would go book shopping. Nowadays it’s hard for them to come from 5 miles away." Stan Madson added, "The fabric of the cities but also of countries and how they interact with each other – has really changed. For example, when a group meditates together, it’s very different than sitting alone; it’s an amplification. People will eventually understand that there’s something about "a shared presence" that’s vital to our consciousness. Without that shared presence, we are not going to evolve properly."

The October/November issue of the Whole Life Times featured an article by Abigail Lewis with the headline Bodhi Tree Remembered: au revoir to LA’s beloved bookstore, the Bodhi Tree Reincarnates. Lewis wrote, "Imagine spending 40 hours a week contemplating aspects of outer space. Such flirting with the infinite seems like exactly the kind of job that might prompt reflections on inner space, so perhaps it’s no surprise that three engineers quit the aerospace industry in 1970 an create a metaphysical refuge . . . Forty-one years later, having launched innumerable seekers emulating Buddha’s journey, Stan and Phil are themselves heading down new paths. Phil was quoted as saying, "All the letters and email we’ve gotten, people say ‘You changed my life.’ These new concepts took them out of traditional religion, government and rationality, made them question things. It’s been a progressive wave pushing people to look at their lives and the implications."

Early in 2011, the entire used book stock was moved into the new book building and the Used Book building was closed. New and used books were displayed on the same shelves. In December 2011, the physical bookstore entered its last month, closing on December 31, 2011. On the day of closing, the Los Angeles Times ran a front page story about the closing of the Bodhi Tree Bookstore by Teresa Watanabe, with the headline, The Bodhi Tree is no more . . . A spiritual mecca says goodbye . . . Zen to now: After 4 decades, the metaphysical bookstore on Melrose Avenue closes its doors. Watanabe wrote, "The cozy store on Melrose Avenue — with its incense, herbal teas and portraits of sages on the walls — has served as a spiritual mecca for seekers of all persuasions, including Jerry Brown, Ringo Starr and Shirley MacLaine. Its owners hope it can be reborn at a different location."

The new owner of the Bodhi Tree Bookstore business was Jasmine Fayad. The plan was to establish a new location and build on the look and sense of the old Bodhi Tree Bookstore. All the bookcases, showcases, cabinets, computers, terminals, pictures, posters, and signs were put in storage. Eventually, the plan for a new physical bookstore was abandoned and the energy for a new Bodhi Tree Bookstore was focused on developing its online presence. The new Bodhi Tree Bookstore continued as an online bookstore at bodhitree.com and extended its roots into digital and e-learning products with a full line of educational courses. Jasmine Fayad serves as Chief Creative Officer and has established an elegant visual aesthetic for the Bodhi Tree Bookstore, as well as a credible and engaging tone for its outreach. She says, "One of the guiding mottos when envisioning Bodhi's new form was to find a way to create an appealing balance drawn from the Transcendentalists values of wisdom, beauty, and truth." The Bodhi Tree Bookstore continues at bodhitree.com.

Publications

Bodhi Tree Directory of Community Resources

Basic Book List

Bodhi Tree Book Review magazine (published 1992-2002, twice a year, a total of 28 issues)

Astrology Charts

How To Run A Bookstore

Hsin Hsin Ming Sengstan booklet

Channeling and Mediumship –A Guide

Crystals, Minerals, and Stones Reference List

I Ching: How to Use

Crystal, Mineral, and Gem Stones

Ear Conning Instructions

Incense: A Description of Incense and Fragrance List including How to Use

Mala Stones & Beads

Malas, Rosary, Prayer or Meditation Beads

Chronology

• 1972 Nov 30 – Bodhi Tree Bookstore is incorporated in the State of California with co-owners Phil Thompson and Stan Madson.
• 1975 – Used Books Branch opened.
• 1979 – Purchase of the bookstore property at 8585 Melrose Avenue.
• 1982-1983 – Remodel and expansion of the store.
• 1983 – The book Out on a Limb by Shirley MacLaine was published.
• 1986 – First computer system for point-of-sale implemented in the store.
• 1986 – Video series of Out on A Limb part filmed in the bookstore.
• 1992-2002 – Publication of Bodhi Tree Book Review Magazine.
• 1993 – SAMATA Yoga and Health Institute awards; Phil Thompson and Stan Madson received a Karma award.
• 1994 – Bodhi Tree is named Business of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce of West Hollywood, California.
• 1994 – Stan Madson and Phil Thompson are named Business Persons of the Year by the City of West Hollywood city council (consisting of Abbe Land, John Heilman, Sal Gurriello, Steve Martin, Paul Koretz)
• 1994 – Stan Madson and Phil Thompson receive commendation from the California State Senate with a Certificate of Recognition signed by Tom Hayden.
• 1994 – Annex Building purchased (8583 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood). It became a space for author readings and a wide variety of workshops (Reiki, Psychics, Buddhist, Metaphysics, Music, Video). About 40-50 events per month are scheduled.
• 1998 – The Psychic Reading program started. The psychic staff consisted of 5-6 people. Psychic reading were done in a covered area between the Annex and New Book buildings.
• 1998 – In LA Weekly’s Best of LA pull out: Best Bookstore Cat: Little Girl was number 2--the cat with the most karma.
• 2000 – Bodhi Tree becomes the bookstore for Health World Online (receives orders, packages, ships, and takes payment).
• 2002 – Founding and participating member of the West Hollywood Book Fair.
• 2002 – A Community of Angels
• 2005 Aug 15 – City of West Hollywood Proclamation: Bodhi Tree Bookstore, "one of West Hollywood’s oldest landmarks and a cultural treasure."
• 2008 – Oprah and Eckhart Tolle engaged in a weekly Webinar workshop (10 sessions) that were connected with small groups of students throughout the world in real time using Skype. Two of the West coast workshops were filmed live at the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in the Used Book building.
• 2010 – Bodhi Tree Transition begins. Owners announce pending retirement. The bookstore owners enter agreement to sell the bookstore property. The bookstore business assets are advertised for sale
• 2011 Dec 31 – Bodhi Tree Bookstore final closing sale; store closed and buildings vacated.
• 2012 – The Bodhi Tree Bookstore continues online under the direction of owner Jasmine Fayad at bodhitree.com

References

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