One in a city of 215,000 and still struggling

Steve Marcus

Bestseller Books owner Mark Johnston recently downsized to this 1,100-square-foot retail space on Craig Road to save on rent. He likes the location but says the North Las Vegas store’s revenue has decreased by a third over the past two years.

By Mike Trask

Friday, Oct. 3, 2008 | 2 a.m.

The phone rings at Bestseller Books in North Las Vegas, where used paperbacks are stacked to the 12-foot ceiling.

Owner Mark Johnston answers.

No, he does not have a book about the art of breathing. Yes, he buys used books. No, he will not buy every book pulled out of every garage. Hold on, he’s checking to see whether he has anything about Tarot cards.

Inevitably, he gives directions to this 1,100-square-foot piece of himself along Craig Road near Valley Drive in a strip mall that’s not quite full.

His next-door neighbors are vacant storefronts. One housed a pool hall, for a minute, before its doors were shut when the city wouldn’t grant a liquor license. The other has never been filled. Johnston heard a party store is moving in soon.

“We’re right behind the Denny’s,” Johnston tells potential customers.

Johnston, 51, has been a bookseller for eight years. In March he moved his little shop to this location, maintaining its role as the only bookstore in North Las Vegas, a city that over the past few years has grown to more than 215,000 people.

He loves running it more than any job he’s had since moving to Las Vegas from Texas 20 years ago to test his luck as a poker pro. Books line his wood shelves, with a DVD and CD section in the back corner to help the bottom line.

Shopping options for North Las Vegas’ middle-class residents have not kept pace with the community’s growth. Last year the city spent $25,000 on consultants to help attract businesses.

Plans exist for major shopping centers. The biggest project is three miles west of Johnston’s shop, where 160 acres will become The District at Desert Star at Craig Road and North Fifth Street. The mixed-use development will include more than 1 million square feet of retail, 20 restaurants and 800 condominium units.

The developer has said it will include a bookstore.

It’s unclear when.

“With the rooftops we’re seeing now, if it wasn’t for the economy, you would see a few bookstores up here,” says Mike Majewski, the city’s economic development director.

But for now, the economy is being unkind to many businesses, including Bestseller Books. Johnston’s revenue has decreased by one-third over the past two years.

By moving from a 2,400-square-foot store to the current location in March, he cut his monthly rent nearly in half, to $2,100.

It’s a good location, surrounded by a vast residential area, and it’s still in North Las Vegas, where he has no competition. But Johnston needs more people to find it.

“Most people who are just casual readers don’t want to go far,” he says. “I would love if they put a Barnes & Noble in next door. It would be a great draw for readers.”

The phone rings again.

“We’re right behind the Denny’s,” he says.