Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
The upheaval wrought by last week's disastrous windstorm has altered many lives and plans this holiday season. Among those hard hit were independent booksellers in outlying areas where the power loss took place at the worst possible time.
Bookstores traditionally earn as much as one-third of their annual sales in December, so the loss of one December weekend is a staggering blow. Consider Island Books, the community-oriented store on Mercer Island, where owner Roger Page figures that the bookstore lost $28,000 in sales over the weekend, even though some sales were rung up using flashlights and pencils.
Eagle Harbor Book Co. on Bainbridge Island was a solitary beacon of power in downtown Winslow during the weekend, courtesy of a generator installed five years ago. But owner Morley Horder still thinks that the store's sales for the weekend plummeted by 20 percent.
Parkplace Books in Kirkland sustained a double whammy. Not only was the store without electric power over the weekend, the staff also faced the aftermath of flooding from overflowing storm drains that sent 4 inches of water throughout the store.
Staffers managed to move books out of the way of advancing water, but the lack of power meant that neither pumps nor fans could be employed to lessen the impact of the flooding. The store, stripped of its soggy carpeting, reopened on Monday.
Mary Harris, Parkplace Books co-owner, reports being "astonished" by the groundswell of support from customers and fellow booksellers, but she emphasized that the flooding and power loss occurred over "what was probably the last big Christmas shopping weekend."
Booksellers expect this coming weekend to be much smaller, especially since many have been trying to make it through daily life in the chill and dark.
This storm perspective is a prelude to a list of gifts for book lovers. A tour through several area bookstores, as well as the FriendShop at Seattle's Central Library, uncovered a fine assortment of bookish gifts. Other stores should have their own prize offerings -- most sell far more than just books these days.
This gift list is offered with the suggestion that Seattle area book folk consider shopping local at independent stores that have weathered the storm along with the rest of us and now need a genuine boost. What follows are seven appealing gifts and where they were found:
Author letterpress art
Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park has been commissioning original artwork for some visiting authors who then autograph it. Third Place's program of letterpress book art pieces (broadsides) was subject of a Seattle P-I article in May. As a special holiday offer, Third Place is giving away a broadside with purchase of any book by the featured author. Broadsides include those for Audrey Niffenegger, Paul Theroux, Mark Halperin, Gregory Maguire, David Mitchell and Joe Sacco.
Wooden book holder
An English company ("that company called 'if' ") produced this handsome and functional book holder crafted from Canadian alder. It is suitable for use as a cookbook holder in the kitchen or on the lap sitting in bed or to display a favorite book in the living room. $40.
Found at Island Books.
Notebooks Bearing Covers from Camp Faves
Here's a nifty take on the writing notebook craze. These lined notebooks bear the actual covers from such old favorite books as Nancy Drew ("The Secret in the Attic"), as well as dime-novel noir featuring trampy heroines. $9.95.
Found at University Book Store.
Letterpress bookplates
Bookstores often carry a small selection of traditional bookplate stickers to insert in a book with the name of the owner, but the FriendShop has a most impressive collection from Saturn Press. These handsome bookplates even include some that say "From the Gardening Library of" and "From the Culinary Library of." $6.75.
Magnabrite magnifier
This round magnifying instrument gathers available light and provides a handy way to read small type with four-power magnification. An excellent aid to those who have difficulty reading the small type on maps and phone books. $24.95
Found at Third Place Books, Island Books.
Mini-journal earrings
From the present category of can't-believe-it gifts come tiny journals hanging from earrings for pierced ears. These tiny books feature 16 hand-sewn pages and marbled paper covers in colorful designs. $18.
Found at FriendShop.
Famous authors products from literary luminaries
Appealing caricatures of famous authors adorn many items in the line of literary luminaries from a Virginia company. Choose from a coffee mug with Shakespeare ($8), playing cards with scribes ($6), plastic bookmarks with such writers as Ernest Hemingway or Emily Dickinson ($1.95) or an umbrella with Jane Austen ($21.95).
Found at FriendShop, University Book Store, Third Place Books.
Happy holidays to one and all!
To see more of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, for online features, or to subscribe, go to http://seattlep-I.com.
© 1998-2006 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. All Rights Reserved.
