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Great news for local book readers, game players and practitioners of meaningful browsing: Northtown Books and Dandar’s Boardgames and Books have secured a place to reopen side-by-side in downtown Arcata, mere months after their neighboring stores burned to the ground in the city’s catastrophic January 2 fire.

Northtown Books owner Dante DiGenova called the Outpost this afternoon to report that he and Dandar’s owners Dan Gilkey and Doranna Benker Gilkey will soon sign leases to share the building at 737 G Street. That location most recently held the Hatchet House, which closed at the end of 2024.

“We’re going to divide it in half,” DiGenova said. “Same orientation, with Northtown on the south [side of the building] and Dandar’s on the north.”

The Gilkeys are currently out of town and thus unavailable for comment, but DiGenova said he got their permission to announce this double-dose of business news.

Like their previous storefronts, the new location is just steps away from the Plaza. The Hatchet House building has a new owner, though DiGenova said it’s not his place to disclose their identity.

When will Northtown reopen?

“That’s the hard question,” DiGenova replied. He expects to start moving stuff into the building in May, and while he was initially hopeful about opening as soon as June, he’s now predicting it will be July or August. He’s working with a local contractor to build all the required shelving, and he’s trying to figure out the new space should be oriented.

“There’s so many questions right now, it’s kind of blowing my mind,” DiGenova said.

Many of those questions surround insurance. Negotiations with the store’s policy holders have been predictably complex and prolonged. 

“I don’t have the funds to renovate yet; we’re still in negotiations,” he said, adding, “I will make it work somehow.”

Since burning down, Northtown Books and its employees have benefited from community support via an online fundraiser that was set up right after the fire and through customer orders placed through the business’s website. (Books ordered online are sent directly to customers’ homes, like Amazon minus the billionaire owner.)

Plus, one insurance policy has been covering lost income, which means Northtown has retained treasured employees Monika, Jay, Jon and Sarah.

“They all want to come back,” DiGenova said.

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PREVIOUSLY

• Huge Fire in Downtown Arcata
• ‘We Would Love to Rebuild’: Northtown Books Owner Dante DiGenova Addresses Devastating Fire, Thanks the Community and Looks Toward Next Steps
• Investigation Finds No Evidence of Foul Play in January 2 Arcata Fire; Cause Remains Undetermined
• Two Months After the Arcata Fire, Dandar’s Lines Up a Temporary Location While Northtown Books Keeps Searching for a New Spot