Downtown Los Angeles has a shiny new indie, Metropolis Books, which celebrated its grand opening this weekend. Scott Timberg explores the store in today’s LAT:

Metropolis Books, at 440 S. Main St. — arriving at a time that sees far more closings than openings in the book business — is being called the first nonspecialty, nonchain bookstore in downtown L.A. since the legendary Fowler Brothers shut its doors in 1994.

The 900-square-foot store sits in the Old Bank District, with its hipster lofts and Beaux Arts buildings that impersonate a different city each time a film crew rolls through (which is often). A block away is the retro-styled Pete’s Cafe & Bar and the year-old, indie-minded Old Bank DVD store. Metropolis shares a block with a newish Vietnamese cafe, several art galleries and the Regent Theater, slated to become a rock hall next year.

“Ultimately, what it comes down to is reclaiming these blighted areas,” said Andre Coleman, a science-fiction writer. “You have to put culture back — you can’t just put in a Subway or a Starbucks. I know we’re close to an area called skid row, but a bookstore gives people hope.”