What happens when you’re a black bookstore and all the black people start moving out of the neighbourhood? Apparently more than half of the black population has left San Francisco (my favourite American city! No! Don’t go!) in the last few years, and coupled with the recession, this reduced customer base is making it impossible for one independent bookstore to stay open. Why couldn’t this happen instead to a redneck bookstore in Texas instead? Or a Republican bookstore in Florida? Or a Scientology bookstore in America?

San Francisco’s Marcus Books has long been a gathering place for African-American authors such as Maya Angelou. But last year, manager Blanche Richardson faced the realization that the 50-year-old bookstore might have to close, the victim of a mix of demographics and economics.

“To even have to contemplate closing this place, with all of its history, is painful to think about,” she says.

While many independent bookstores nationwide have shut over the years, Marcus Books’ travails are rooted in a double-whammy specific to the Bay Area: the recession coupled with a long-term exodus of African-Americans from San Francisco. In the past two years, says Ms. Richardson, both trends have caused Marcus Books’ sales to plunge nearly 40%. In contrast, Barnes & Noble Inc. reported a 4% year-over-year sales increase in its most recently reported quarter.

Ms. Richardson says if sales don’t pick up, the San Francisco store and its Oakland branch—which together showcase about 6,000 books, mostly by African-American authors—could shut by early fall. To preserve the location and avoid foreclosure she has petitioned San Francisco to designate the city’s store as a historic landmark; officials say they are considering the proposal.