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Buy the Book
by Lisa Albers

A quarter of adults in the U.S. did not read a single book last year, according to a recent AP/Ipsos poll, and not too long ago, the National Endowment for the Arts found that fewer than half of Americans read literature, with the number of literary readers declining more rapidly every year.

Yet despite our nation’s increasing disinterest in things literary, Seattle still loves books and bookstores. Our book-buying habits have, in fact, earned Seattle its ranking as the most literate city in the country, at least according to a 2005 study conducted by Central Connecticut State University.

Still, survival for the independents is not easy, and even in a hyper-literate town like Seattle it takes many forms — whether that’s a strong commitment to customer service, a clever hybrid selection of new and used, an emphasis on a certain field or genre, or a reading series to draw folks to the store. As we head into the holiday season, here is a primer on great local indie bookstores that can make gift shopping much more fun.

Keeping Books on the Shelves

Just this year, Abraxus owner Tony Topalian scored a lease in the old Ballard library building, and now shelves that formerly held library books hold Abraxus’ hybrid collection of new and gently used. “Abraxus books has become a destination bookshop in the Seattle metro area,” says Topalian. “Our strong suit is the liberal arts tradition and maritime.” The building is a gem, too: Built in 1963, it’s a fantastic mid-century modern structure, its soaring roofline topped with a copper apex and skylights that provide plenty of natural light.

In Store and Online

While Arundel Books owner Phil Bevis attributes much of his store’s financial success to online sales, he says the downtown Seattle retail store is designed for browsing. “We carry both new and used books, and try to offer visitors the books and experience they are unlikely to get anywhere else,” says Bevis.

The relatively small store draws upon an immense, fully catalogued warehouse inventory. “We keep the store interesting by making sure that there is no ‘dead’ stock on the shelves, while still offering a greater selection than one of the chain superstores,” says Bevis.

Books for Movie Buffs

Cinema Books is located in the same building as the Seven Gables Theatre in the U District, and appropriately so, as Cinema is a specialty bookstore devoted to movies, television and theatre. “With thousands of books and photographs and cards to hunt through, we can usually satisfy our clients’ quests,” says manager Stephanie Ogle. Cinema Books celebrated its 30th anniversary this year.

East Meets West

With a meditation studio and vegetarian café nearby, East West Bookshop is well situated for a bookstore specializing in the conscious living movement. In addition to a broad selection of books, East West sells CDs, DVDs, and products for relaxation, wellness, and creating sacred space.

A nonprofit organization, East West is run by Ananda, a worldwide movement based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. “Partly because the store provides a much needed service in these turbulent times, and partly because our staff view their work as a labor of love, we have a loyal, ever-growing customer base,” says manager Susan McGinnis. They recently opened a second store in Bothell.

The Place for Books

Fremont Place Books strives for quality of selection over quantity. “This is a small store, only 900 square feet, so I am very selective about what books I have on the shelf,” says owner Henry Burton. “Many customers mention this eclectic selection in their comments.”

Still, Burton acknowledges that survival is tough — even in a heavy tourist-traffic zone like Fremont. Burton succeeds by focusing on customer service. “We do everything we can to satisfy our customers’ reading needs: having the right inventory, doing special orders, shipping, having some author events, community involvement.”

Seattle’s Flagship Independent

When owner Peter Aaron walked into Elliott Bay Book Company 20 years ago, he thought to himself, Yes, this is what a bookstore should look like. Aaron took over the store in 1985 despite the terrible outlook for independents at that time. There had been one chain bookstore in Seattle prior to the mid-80s, but by 1999, there were 13, and Amazon.com represented a further threat to the smalls.

But Elliott Bay thrives today. Aaron attributes its success in part to a marathon reading schedule — averaging two per day, or 500 to 600 authors per year. “We cover the entire range, from Nobel laureate to the very obscure, first-time poet,” says Aaron. “I don’t know that there’s another store in the country with that kind of reading series.”

Another draw is the store’s inventory, which represents major publishing houses and small presses, emerging authors and big names, new and used. “In an era that focuses on return on investment, not many stores are willing or able to do that anymore,” says Aaron.

Beyond these two factors, Aaron attributes Elliott Bay’s knowledgeable, enthusiastic staff of book lovers for its success, as well as the very ambience that impressed him 20 years ago.

A Mother-Daughter Venture

Epilogue Books is co-owned by Rebecca Hildebrandt and her mother Sharon Lloyd. Epilogue won a 2007 NW Source People’s Pick Award, which Hildebrandt attributes to the store’s high level of customer service. “This customer loyalty has helped us grow and become established as an essential part of the Ballard community,” says Hildebrandt. She also attributes Epilogue’s survival to a clean, well-organized, welcoming environment. The store stacks carefully selected used as well as new titles and offers generous trade credit for secondhand books that are clean and in good condition.

A Playhouse on the Island

Island Books has been a part of Mercer Island’s central core for 35 years. Owner Roger Page bought the bookstore nearly two decades ago from three Mercer Island women. Page says that what makes Island Books successful is also what makes it unique: “It’s comfortable; it’s a community place. It’s old-fashioned looking on the inside, with the warmth of old cedar and the accumulation of old typewriters and other stuff that make it a beloved place.”

There’s a sizable children’s department, a playhouse serving as enticement. Page says that customers who remember playing in that house as children now bring their own children in to enjoy the bookstore’s welcoming offerings for kids. “That house has been there nearly as long as the store,” he says.

Poetry for the Masses

During an era in which many proclaim that print is dead, Open Books goes by an even unlikelier business model: a bookstore devoted entirely to one genre — poetry. Open Books is one of only two poetry-only bookstores in the country; the other is located in Cambridge, Mass.

“We wish there were more of us, but that’s not up to us,” says co-owner John W. Marshall. “In our darker days, we think of poetry as culturally vestigial,” he says of himself and partner Christine Deavel. “It’s something that may fall off through evolution.” But for now, business is good. Marshall says people are often surprised to learn that he and Deavel have turned a profit every year since they went poetry-only twelve years ago. Their “gross customers” receive a free book for every 12 they buy, and there are many triple and quadruple gross customers. “Sometime soon, one of them will purchase their one-thousandth book from us,” says Marshall.

Success Is No Mystery

Seattle Mystery Bookshop is the oldest mystery bookshop in the Northwest. According to staffer JB Dickey, founder Bill Farley did all the right things when he founded this Pioneer Square shop in 1990. “First, he committed to being a resource for mystery lovers, focusing not only on providing the best selection of mysteries for customers, but also being a place where they can get answers to mystery-related questions,” says Dickey.

The other thing Farley did right was to follow the same business model of other bookstores on this list — such as Abraxus and Epilogue — who consider themselves hybrids between new and used bookstores. Dickey says this allows the bookstore owners to stock a broader range of titles. “Books go out of print so fast that having used [as well as new] is the only way to have a dynamic selection of authors and titles,” says Dickey.

It’s a Wide, Wide World

When Wide World Books & Maps opened in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood in 1976, it was the first all-travel bookstore in the country. And for the past 31 years it has remained a travel-only store, enjoying a steady clientele of serious and armchair travelers alike who are attracted by its vast collection of travel guidebooks and literature, one of the largest map collections in Seattle (including decorative wall maps and globes), and an extensive array of travel gear, accessories and gadgets. The store also has a Web presence for online ordering.

Owner Simone Andrus, a Seattle native and world traveler herself, not only stocks her store with an extensive inventory of travel merchandise, she also employs a knowledgeable and well-traveled staff who are enthusiastic about assisting customers in all stages of their travel planning. And while the store provides informal travel advising as well as an enticing place to shop for books and gear, it also attracts customers to its frequent author readings, free travel programs (which run from September to May on Tuesday evenings), one-hour language classes held on Saturday mornings during the spring, and an annual “Slides and Tell” event for returning travelers to share their slides and stories with other customers.

The Not-So Secret Garden

Secret Garden Books in Ballard is not just for children anymore. While the musical bricks still attract a sizable tot following, front and center is a well-chosen collection of contemporary nonfiction and fiction for adults. While the store has been a Ballard fixture for 30 years, Secret Garden began carrying adult titles seven years ago. It also hosts an impressive reading series in coordination with the nearby Ballard library branch. “We’re far more audience-driven than bestseller-driven in our stock,” says Events and Publicity Manager Suzanne Perry.

Key to their success, says Perry, is the fact that only book lovers staff the store, people who try to convey to customers that the best way to shop for books is not online but live, picking out books by serendipity and recommendation from savvy staff. But the shop remains true to its beginnings. “We’ve never lost our commitment to children’s literature and have a hand-picked selection that appeals to kids, to their parents, and to their teachers,” says Perry.

Everyone Needs a Third Place

Third Place derives its name from the founding philosophy that, after home and work, everyone needs a “third place,” a place to connect with community, a place where they can feed their intellect and enjoy life. To that end, half of Third Place is reserved for books, and the other half is a “commons” area surrounded by five restaurants. A main stage at one end allows for reading events and has welcomed blockbuster authors such as Alan Alda, Jamie Lee Curtis and Anne Lamott.

“Third Place is enjoying a record year,” says Wendy Manning, events manager and buyer. “It’s likely a book buyer will find a bargain here, then move on to shop our large and eclectic gift section, and perhaps stay for a children’s story time, an author reading, or a community event. Last year we hosted more than 1,200 free events. ‘I can never get out of here!’ is an observation we hear often.”

Lisa Albers is an avid reader and a book reviewer in Seattle.

©2007 Caliope Publishing Company