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Elliott Bay Book Company
Industry	Bookseller
Founded	1973
Founder	Walter Carr
Headquarters	Seattle, Washington, United States
Products	New books
Owner	Tracy Taylor; Murf Hall; Joey Burgess;
Number of employees	30+
Website	www.elliottbaybook.com

Elliott Bay Book Company is an independent bookstore located at 1521 10th Avenue in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. The Seattle Times described the store as the "region's premier independent bookstore" and the Associated Press referred to the bookstore as "a literary landmark."^[1] The New York Times claimed in 1999 that "most Seattleites would agree" that Elliott Bay Book Company was the "bookish heart" of the city.^[2] The bookstore opened in 1973 in the Pioneer Square neighborhood and moved to Capitol Hill in 2010.

Description

The bookstore is housed in a 20,000-square-foot building.^[3] Exposed timber trusses, industrial sash windows, and 19-foot-tall ceilings contribute to Elliott Bay's distinctive environment.^[4] The store regularly carries around 150,000 titles.^[5] Elliott Bay's large children's section formerly included a miniature castle.^[6]

Author events such as readings and signings happen frequently at Elliott Bay, with over 500 events each year.^[7] There are multiple book groups that collaboratively read and discuss books on topics such as global issues, young adult literature, and science fiction.^[8] Elliott Bay is also home to Seattle's first bookstore café, with a small dining space in the store run by a neighboring restaurant.^[8]

The store's well-read staff have been a consistent feature throughout its history, with founder Walter Carr saying "we're also selling personal service".^[9] In a 1999 New York Times article, travel writer Jonathan Raban described the store's staff as "perhaps the most knowledgeable of any in bookstores across the United States and Britain."^[2] Handwritten recommendations from staff line shelves throughout the bookstore.^[6]

From 2019-2024 the Elliott Bay Book Company collaborated with Hudson News on a bookstore in Terminal C of the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport.^[10]

History

Elliott Bay Book Company was established by Walter and Maggie Carr and first opened on June 29, 1973.^[9]^[11] The bookstore was located in a 1,600-square-foot room of the Globe Building at 310 First Avenue South in the Pioneer Square neighborhood.^[12] One of Carr's models for the store was Kepler's Books, which had high ceilings and classical music playing throughout.^[9] Carr, who had no experience running a store,^[13] hired laid-off Boeing workers to help build the store's bookshelves.^[5] Throughout the years, the store expanded into a larger space within the Globe Building.

In selecting books for the collection, Carr focused on breadth of inventory, wanting the bookstore to have a broad selection of subject matter, publishers, and authors.^[7] Elliott Bay held its first author event in 1978 and a basement café was added in 1979.^[7]^[14] Visitors appreciated the bookstore's "old-world charm," with creaking wood floors and exposed brick walls.^[15] The look and configuration of the space were closely tied with customer's perceptions of the store.^[14]

In February 1999 it was announced that Carr would retire and local developer Ron Sher would purchase Elliott Bay Book Company.^[1]^[11] He described the store as "a Seattle institution as much as the Pike Place Market and the Space Needle".^[1] Sher, who also owned Third Place Books,^[13] announced plans for reviving the business by adding more seating and selling used books along with new, as well as discussing the resurgence in the idea of bookstores as gathering places.^[2] The following year, Sher formed a partnership with Peter Aaron, who took over the management of day-to-day operations.^[16] Aaron became the sole owner of the store in 2001.^[11]

After the 2008 Great Recession, sales suffered and the bookstore's finances became precarious.^[15] Rumors that the store would downsize or move elicited nervousness from Pioneer Square business owners as Elliott Bay was considered the anchor business for the neighborhood.^[14]

In 2010, the bookstore moved to the Capitol Hill neighborhood into a former Ford truck service building constructed around 1918.^[14] The renovation reused all the original cedar bookshelves, retaining recognizable elements of the old space.^[4] The store's relocation to Capitol Hill helped revitalize the neighborhood's Pike/Pine corridor.^[17]

In 2022, general manager Tracy Taylor, Murf Hall, and Joey Burgess of Burgess Hall Group purchased Elliott Bay Book Company.^[11]

Book Workers Union

The Elliott Bay Book Company booksellers voted to unionize in March 2020, which was recognized voluntarily and immediately by owner Peter Aaron.^[18] The Book Workers Union began advocating for its members immediately to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[18] Many of the union's goals include working with the store's management to ensure the store is investing in its employees.^[18]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Landmark Seattle book store will be sold". The News Tribune. Associated Press. February 20, 1999. p. B2. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c Verhovek, Sam Howe (April 10, 1999). "One City, 2 Booksellers and a Bit of Bad Blood". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
^ Allison, Melissa (December 9, 2009). "Elliott Bay Book Co. moving to Capitol Hill". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Shelf Space: Elliott Bay Book Company". Kirkus Reviews. September 2014. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Interview with a Bookstore: Elliott Bay Book Company". Literary Hub. July 13, 2015. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Wong, Julia Carrie (January 21, 2016). "Seattle bookstores face new threat from Amazon: a brick-and-mortar location". The Guardian. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Amstutz, Nicolette (March 2014). "The Elliott Bay Book Company". Independent Publisher. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Hirschhaut, Rachel; Frommer, Pauline (April 2020). "25 Independent Bookstores We Love". Frommer's. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Lalonde, James E. (July 30, 1990). "Profile: Walter Carr—Service with style thrusts bookstore into national limelight". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
^ "Attention passengers: Elliott Bay Book Company has landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport". Tacoma Daily Index. October 24, 2019. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Toay, Adel (June 3, 2022). "Elliott Bay Book Co. sold to longtime manager, Capitol Hill business owners". king5.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
^ "Grass Roots Gold Rush". Newsweek. July 15, 1990. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Wilma, David (September 25, 2001). "Walter Carr opens Elliott Bay Book Co. in Pioneer Square on June 29, 1973". HistoryLink. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Blecha, Peter (April 19, 2010). "Seattle's Elliott Bay Book Co. moves from longtime Pioneer Square location to Capitol Hill and reopens on April 14, 2010". HistoryLink. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Martinez, Amy (October 18, 2009). "Financial woes prompt Elliott Bay Book owner to consider move". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
^ Gwinn, Mary Ann (July 20, 2000). "New chapter in bookstore's management". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
^ Kreisman, Lawrence (January 21, 2012). "Seattle's old buildings: Opportunities, not obstacles". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Green, Alex (September 11, 2020). "How Bookstore Unions Are Stepping Up". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2021.