It’s official! Chevalier’s Books is moving across the street to 133 N. Larchmont Blvd. We got a sneak peek at the new space late Friday afternoon, thanks to Chevalier’s staff, who had just received the keys and couldn’t yet find the light switches. The space is actually slightly larger than the shop’s current storefront, but the front window is definitely much smaller. There’s a lot of work ahead for staff to renovate the new space, pack up the old store and move everything over to open the new store.
“We’re thinking, if we can do it, because shelving and other work needs to be completed, that we’d move between the Christmas and New Year holidays, though it’s all tentative, of course,” owner Bert Deixler told the Buzz Friday evening.
The move is a big financial investment in a retail bookstore during a pandemic. But the owners are willing to make the investment and the community has responded in kind with lots of orders and lots of expressions of support, including from Buzz readers on our website and via our social media after owners Bert Deixler and Daryl Holter sent an email to the community explaining they were being forced out of their current space by the building’s new owner, Christina Development.
Chevalier’s is moving into a storied retail space that was once the home of Albert T. Balzer Company, a gourmet grocer that “catered to the wealthy residents offering personal service and the finest selection of quality gourmet foods,” according to the book Larchmont, published by Arcadia Press and available for sale at Chevalier’s Books. At one time, Balzer occupied all three storefronts from 133-135 North Larchmont. The store stayed in the family until 1959 when it was sold to Harold Jurgensen. The three large windows remain but the facade has been altered significantly over the years.
