Kepler's May Re-open

Kepler's, the beloved Menlo Park bookstore, has announced the formation of a Board of Directors to help get it re-opened, hopefully no later than October. In addition, a Patron's Circle with 17 members offering an undisclosed amount of financal support has been formed. Read the full press release (PDF) - including the charming, we think, detail of how far each board member lives from Kepler's.

Members of the Board include Clark Kepler, President, CEO and Chairman of the Board; Daniel Méndez, a Menlo Park resident and co-founder and CTO of Visto Corporation, a wireless technology firm in Redwood City; Geoff Ralston, an Atherton resident and Chief Product Officer at Yahoo!; and Bruce Dunlevie, General Partner at Menlo Park-based Benchmark Capital and a seasoned veteran of venture capital with more than 15 years experience in high-tech investing. An additional board seat has been established to be filled with a Director who has experience in the book industry or publishing world.

The outstanding sticking point seems to be the attempted re-negotiation of the lease with The Tan Group, the store's landlord. The target date of October is very important so that the store can be fully operational for the Christmas season.

You can keep up with the latest news, and sign on to show your support, at SaveKeplers.com.