Books by the Way

Really sad to announce that this bookstore has closed in 2011:

As I mentioned in another review I was a little 5-​star crazy in my beginning as a reviewer. This place still has it though.
It also has redesigned, re-​purposed, recycled kids clothes that are adorable.
Little newborn boy’s shirts with CAPES (My cousin is having a baby shower soon and would love to get her something more original than the stuff she has registered at Target) done up like a super hero costume.
And just in time for the Strawberry festival (Today is the last day!) girl’s shirts with Strawberry designs and skirts made out of old turtle necks my little sister wanted.
I love this place. There are things to love about big box stores, and off island norms for independent stores and I think reviewers for Vashon businesses get too hung up on the idea of «If I even have an opinion I’ll either want to MARRY this place or divorce it make sure nobody ever wants it again!»
For newcomers maybe the «isolation» (we’re thirty minutes tops away from two major cities) incites strong feelings. But you can’t really compare Island businesses to their off-​island counterparts because in this part of the world they do not exist.
You’re messing with physics my friend. You don’t want to annoy her. She has enough on her plate.
It’s a great place to look through and buy books. Like most island businesses it is thoughtfully maintained. Enjoy it for what it is. And that is low-​key awesome.

Whomever said «nothing special» about this place must occupy a fantastical world I’m not privy to, because I really thought Books By the Way was VERY special.
Here’s why:
–couches for people to sit and peruse on. It’s not a library, they’re trying to SELL the books, and yet — make yourself at home. Be comfortable. Read. Laugh. Relax.
–cool secondhand comics section, including a 1950s Tom & Jerry in Finnish. I was tempted, but my Finnish is rusty.
–a beautiful section for kids in the back, with rugs and chairs. While we were there, two little girls were each curled up in an armchair, lost in whatever they were reading. I may be a bit biased about the importance of kids reading, but that made me feel pretty good.
–well-​organized, easily navigated, accessible, good selection of books.
–really helpful, friendly, lovely staff. They let me use the bathroom, which I appreciated so much (sometimes, you just really need to pee.). Also, when my boyfriend and I mused about where we should go on the island, they got involved, asked what we liked, chatted with us about coffee and beaches, pulled out maps, made suggestions, and gave us a map/​guide to Vashon to keep.
And all this before they knew we were going to buy anything (I eventually succumbed and bought «The Eternal Smile», a graphic novel I hadn’t read before by Gene Luen Yang, who wrote American Born Chinese — one of the best graphic novels ever).
AND, they let us pat and love their greying, lovely, friendly, waggy bookstore-​dog named Mildred, who was all too happy to visit. It was a really great way to spend a half hour.
It IS something special. Go there. Support them. Read. Relax.

I love going to Books by the Way – it’s so much more than a bookstore. They do have a great selection of kids and young adult books, and the owners (and their kids when they are there) are terrific at helping select just the right book. I also like that they’ve started offering «upcycled» kids clothes, and their selection of cute cards is great too.

It’s fine. Nothing special.

This bookstore was the reason I had to work part time during high school. I spent all my money here because they always stocked the best books. They still do and can order just about anything for you if they don’t have it on the shelves. Great selection of local authors. The perfect hometown independent bookstore.