Diesel Books Wins NCIBA Award for 2012 'Telegraph Avenue' Event

Diesel Bookstore is the recipient of the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association's 2012 Outstanding Event award.

"If you think about the hundreds of events in Northern California, that's pretty exciting," said co-owner John Evans.

To prepare for a book release for East Bay author Michael Chabon's Telegraph Avenue last September, the store was converted into a record shop depicting the one in the book.

For two months, the store was decked out with vinyl records and it felt like you were walking into Berigan's Records on Claremont Avenue (now closed). In fact, the records were provided by Berigan Taylor himself, according to Evans. 

"It was a real community affair," Evans said.

Pegasus Books, located just down the street, provided record bins. Sweet Adeline Bakeshop in Berkeley made cakes depicting a stack of old records and a record player. The event was to benefit 826 Oakland, a writing program for youth in the East Bay, Evans said.

"People attended from across the country," he said.