Locally-owned Pea Picker Bookstore announced it will be closing its doors on December 30 after 48 years in business.

Long-standing local bookstore Pea Picker Bookstore announced via a Facebook post earlier this month it will be closing its doors after 48 years in business.

The business is the oldest family-owned used bookstore in Tyler.

Owner Jon Johnson said the unique name came from a weekly newspaper his parents published in Athens.

“On August 1, 1971, my parents began publishing a weekly newspaper in Athens. Athens is ‘The Black Eyed Pea Capital of the World’ and at the time home of The Black Eyed Pea Jamboree,” he said. “They decided we would be ‘The Pea Picker.’”

The bookstore was eventually opened on East Erwin Street in Tyler with the same name.

A devastating flood in April of 1986 forced the bookstore to seek higher ground. The current store on University Boulevard opened on June 2, 1986 where it remains today.

Johnson said he noticed a decline in sales around 2010 when the Amazon Kindle was introduced.

“Sometime in the early 2000’s I noticed a website selling used books online from a garage and mailing them to your home,” he said. “I didn’t pay much attention until Christmas 2010 when the Amazon Kindle showed up under everyone’s tree. Our sales began a significant decline and all the smaller used book stores in Tyler began to disappear.”

“Today it’s us and Half Price Books in Tyler and a few new stores,” Johnson said. “The internet and e-books are putting an end to our inventory — business continues to get slower.”

According to responses to the Facebook post announcing the store’s closure; it’s apparent the local bookstore will be much missed.

One customer thanked the store for more than four decades of memories saying she tries to stop by the bookstore every time she is in Tyler and hopes to make it back before the store closes.

Another customer expressed sadness to see the place close saying “it was my place to walk to and get books a lot of days after I got out of school next door back in 1996 to 2000”.

Johnson credits the bookstore’s long history to great customers.

“Thanks to all our great customers, and their children, and their grandchildren,” he said.

The store will permanently close its doors on Dec. 30.

Pea Picker Bookstore is located at 2803 University Boulevard and can be reached at 903-565-4345.

For more information, visit the Pea Picker Bookstore Facebook page.