Locally Owned & Independently Operated Since 1980
$2.7 Million in sales
30 employees

What inspired you to start your business?

A love of books and a desire to work together.  We were both working in education in the Midwest and wanted to move to the Northwest as well.  We began the bookstore in June of 1980.  It has grown over the years from the two of us to 30 staff.  We also own an adjacent card and gift store that employs 10 folks.

The bookstore is approximately 10,000 sq ft with annual sales of 2.7 Million.  Paper Dreams occupies about 4000 sq ft and had revenues last year of $750,000.

Growth of both businesses has been incremental.  As we became tighter on space or sensed new opportunities (e.g. used books or connection to a cafe) we expanded to take advantage of the opportunity.

What ecologically sustainable, socially responsible or community-minded business practices have you incorporated into your business?

We are one of the few bookstores in the nation to pay full medical insurance for full-time (30 hours or more) employees.  A staff development team composed of three elected staff members plus the two of us considers and crafts personnel and store policy.  We have worked hard on all aspects of waste reduction, reuse and recycling within the store.  We pay very close attention to purchasing locally whenever possible.  The store is very involved in numerous community events, causes and organizations.  Last year Village Books raised and donated more than $30,000 for charitable organizations.

What are the challenges or opportunities you currently face?

The retail book business (like most small business) presents many challenges including narrow retail margins and increasing costs.  It's a challenge to increase compensation for staff and remain profitable so, though we have very low turnover, keeping staff remains difficult. Competitors have, seemingly, unlimited capital and are able to subsidize unprofitable operations for a much longer period of time that independent businesses.

Though the Local First campaign in our area has been very successful it is still a challenge to fight the perceptions of value that big-box stores offer.  It's difficult getting folks to focus on the true cost of "saving" a few cents on books or other products.

Village Books
1200 11th Street, Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 671-2626