Lit Vibes Only

Ep. 29: Lit Chats: What Makes A Great Bookstore?

• Lit Vibes Only Podcast • Season 1 • Episode 29

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Join Amanda and Kelsey as they navigate BookTok drama, reveal their favorite bookstores in Seattle and Portland, and debate the essentials of the perfect store. Delight in their tangents, cramped bookstore dilemmas, and dreams of running their own literary haven.

Follow us on TikTok & Youtube @litvibesonlypodcast and on Instagram @litvibesonly_podcast. We'd love to hear from you!

See you on Mondays!

Amanda:

Welcome to Lit Vibes Only, where we lit the shit out of books we love and hate. I'm Amanda.

Kelsey:

And I'm Kelsey. Yes, you are. Welcome back here. today we have a fun Lit chats episode for you. but before we get into it, we want to redirect you yet again to our socials so that you can come hang out with us. once you've listened to the episode, we are on Instagram at live vibes, only underscore podcasts. And we are on tick tock at live vibes, only podcast. And our full length episodes are also on YouTube at live vibes, only podcast. And, Always feel free to email us with your thoughts, perspectives, hot takes, at litvibesonlypodcasts at gmail. com. So I

Amanda:

always forget our email.

Kelsey:

Yeah, well, I don't, yeah, people aren't using it yet. So

Amanda:

we're plugging it.

Kelsey:

so yeah, and always, always please come rate and review the podcast as that is the thing that helps us the most in getting traction and other listeners,, to see us. And so, do that as well. We can't

Amanda:

stick around without that.

Kelsey:

Yeah. Apple and Spotify. That would be lovely. Thank you. All

Amanda:

right.

Kelsey:

So excited for this lovely little chat

Amanda:

today. Yeah. But before that. It's time for my like weekly tick tock, no book talk news update book talk tea, like your segment, the book talk tea with Kelsey with Kelsey.

Kelsey:

so funny. Okay. So I don't, I was just telling Amanda, I don't have like the full low down because like the original video is like deleted and stuff and I haven't been able to find it, but, yeah. It's already a hot take. but anyway, the. The fact that so this is coming out in March, but we are recording in February and it is still black history month and there is rage bait happening, around black history month and black authors. And so somebody said, I don't even know who the original video is from, but somebody said that they were like, I don't. Like reading Black authors, because I can't relate to the content in the books. Oh my god. And then also, someone said, and I think it was the same person, but someone said, Oh yeah, because also, there's so much trauma in those books. By Black authors.

Amanda:

Oh, there is, oh my god. This is the first time that Amanda is hearing this. This is appalling, like, I, oh my, oh,

Kelsey:

yeah. So yeah, so there's like just, there's a lot of conversation happening around like, yeah, why you read black authors or like authors from different perspectives than your own. And then also just the issues around. Well, it's just like

Amanda:

such a privileged thing to say, right. To be able to be like, well, this has no impact on me and like, it doesn't affect me and I don't understand it. Like, whereas like. Everyone else has to understand white culture and how to be white and how to move through this world in order to survive and get by and be successful. Like we don't have the option. And so for you to be like, Oh, like I can't relate to it. Like it means nothing to me. I'm like, that's also so selfish, like. Where is your empathy? Where's your curiosity? Where's your desire to learn and understand and connect? it is, yeah, that's just so outrageous.

Kelsey:

Reading is such a great way to do that too. And that is a safe way to do it because you're just doing it by yourself. You're just reading on your own and you don't have to like make videos about it or anything. You just like. You just get to read it and then be like, Oh yeah, I didn't like that. Or yeah, I did like that. Like, or let me process this.

Amanda:

Yeah. And I think the other thing that makes me really infuriated is like the bit about like, Oh, their books are full of trauma. I'm like, Oh yeah. Why don't you stop for a moment and think about why that might be the case? Where am I, where might this trauma be coming from? Good question. Oh my God. I don't, you know, it's a good thing. I just dip my toes into the world of Tik Tok because I just, yeah, I think I get too like overly invested and be like, I mean, they're accomplishing the goal that they have if it's rage bait because I'm just like, what

Kelsey:

is the other point of that? You know, like it's just someone, yeah. Yeah. I don't know. Exactly. And so if you didn't know, Amanda and I kind of split up social media in a way where I mostly monitor take talk and she mostly monitors Instagram, in comments. And so she'll watch more Instagram videos than I do. and I'll watch more Tik Tok videos than she does. that kind of was a

Amanda:

natural, I feel like bookstagram is kinder than booktalk. I mean, I feel like booktalk is a lovely community as well, I'm sure. But I just feel like I don't come across as much like. Controversy on bookstagram, whereas booktalk, it feels like that's where like chaos happens occasionally,

Kelsey:

maybe only. Yeah, no, I think rage bait is definitely a huge trigger, for videos to become popular on booktalk. and so that for sure is a tactic that people will use. Gosh, who is that woman that does the, whiteboard stuff? Is it Brit and her books?

Amanda:

I think it's Brit and her books.

Kelsey:

That, those are the only Instagram ones

Amanda:

I will watch. Oh my god, I fucking love that account. She's so funny. And like, does not care. She will just say whatever she needs to say. She has no filter. She's like, fuck

Kelsey:

off

Amanda:

then.

Kelsey:

Like, in the comments I've seen her say stuff like that. I'm like, yes, she does not have time. She'll be like, she'll have her, this is where the side of like, social media we should stay on. But, she, she goes and says like, what is it called? Book? Recommendations. I don't want people people

Amanda:

that I don't want book recommendations. Yeah. And a

Kelsey:

lot of them have to do like, I one was like when she, Had this white person getting, like, oh braids. I like often black women women wear and she was like No, thank you. And then someone, someone was like, this is really awful that you're just stereotyping one person because of this. And she's like, fuck off. Yes. It was so great. It was so great. I don't even engage. I want to shut it down and move on. Yes. I want to like in have some of that energy. Oh my gosh. Great. Wow.

Amanda:

Anyway, no, it's actually not a change because like. BookTok will actually lead really beautifully into this topic, which we're going to be talking about like bookstores today. And BookTok has like played a really pivotal role. I think I don't have like a ton of proof necessarily to back this up, but it feels like BookTok has played a really pivotal role in helping to, bolster the independent like book seller community. Right. And making sure that like those. Their doors are staying open.

Kelsey:

Oh, totally. But not even just independent bookstores like Barnes and Noble even was like on a downward spiral and they were closing stores. And what was it this year? They're opening like 60 or something.

Amanda:

So yeah.

Kelsey:

And. Go ahead.

Amanda:

Well, I was going to say the other thing that's so funny is that BookTok has become legitimized in the sense that if you go to bookstores now, even on, on Amazon, actually, it'll be like this book is like recommended by BookTok, right? It'll have like the BookTok stamp of approval and it's, it's a little wild if you think about it. Right. Cause it really just started off as a group of, you know. Folks just like us, like reading books and stating their opinions and creating this community. And now people are like looking to booktalk, right? To determine like, what's the next big read and what should I be reading?

Kelsey:

Honestly, like. That's where I get a lot of my, I know

Amanda:

for you, especially

Kelsey:

it's Rex. I'll be like, they'll say one sentence about it. I'm like, that sounds good. I don't even read about it. I just like pick it up. I'm

Amanda:

trying to think like, where do I get my book recs from? Cause it's not from book talk. I feel like it's from. Sometimes on bookstagram. I feel like I've gotten recently, I've gotten quite a few from book huddle. she's an Instagrammer. but also I will find like lists of book recommendations on like through different social media accounts that aren't necessarily like on bookstagram proper. I know like Betches, which is like a, Yeah. books

Kelsey:

and bitches.

Amanda:

You mean different? No, not books and bitches. Just bitches. Oh. I'll, they'll like, every now and then they'll post like a list of like, books to read and I'll always scroll through those. Oh, funny. Yeah. But, or just like word of mouth, like, I just got ninth house not that long ago from like a fellow book lover that I am friends with and she's like, I know it's fantasy, but I think you would like it that I picked

Kelsey:

up So there's another like Indian girl, books to gram mm-hmm That I follow and I'm like, Ooh, I could read that. Yeah.

Amanda:

Yeah. I mean, and literally, like I was just on Instagram this morning and found, and I just actually posted about it on our Instagram, she's like another historical fiction, girly, and was talking about an author I'd never heard of. And I was like, Oh my gosh, this is like right up my alley. And I just added one of their books to my TBR and I'm like,

Kelsey:

there you go.

Amanda:

That's what happens. Your TBR has been getting

Kelsey:

longer and longer. Oh,

Amanda:

it never, I literally, I have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, seven books, not including the one I'm currently reading stacked up on my. coffee table that I, that I need to read. And that is my like physical TBR. It's not my like Libby holds TBR or like my longer good reads TBR. Like,

Kelsey:

yeah, I was always curious like how people like talk about their TBR. Like when they're talking about physical TPR, TBR, TBR, is that what they're saying? Like, Oh, this is my TBR. Or, are they talking about, like, their Goodreads TBR, you know, cause like,

Amanda:

Goodreads, cause that's like all Cause all of the books currently on my coffee table, aside from the one that you gave me for my birthday, are like, on my TBR. Well, except for Iron Flame and a Court of Wings and Ruin, because that's just, I have to read that. I mean, now it is. Yeah, so I guess, yeah. But yeah, they're all books that are on my legitimate TBR, which is my Goodreads. Okay. Yeah. Where you can talk about everything. Or it's Yeah. Anyways, yes, yes, yes. But bookstores, bookstores. So today's all about bookstores. We're going to talk about like what we love in bookstores, what we look for. And we're also going to, you know, we're in Seattle, we're in the PNW. So we're also going to highlight, a couple of Seattle bookstores for those who are either in the area or who might be visiting soon. And then we have one that is not in Seattle, but that is in again, the larger PNW area. Yeah. but before we get started with the things that we look for, I do have a confession to make, which, which might surprise people because, you know, we are book podcasters. We both love to read like books are a thing, but, I don't go to bookstores often and I feel a little bad saying that out loud because it makes me feel like, oh my gosh, I must not be a truly good book person, but like my reason for not going quite simply is. Well, two reasons. One, if I go to a bookstore, I'm going to be compelled to buy too many books. And I financially cannot just support that habit too, is I find it. I don't know if anybody else can speak to this. This might just because be because I'm an anxious person. I find bookstores anxiety inducing. Because it's why I have a love hate relationship with them because part of me is like, Oh my God, so many books, how exciting and party was like, Oh my God, so many books, I'm never going to get to all of them. Like, I feel so overwhelmed. Where do we even start? I find it very, over stimulating in a way. Cause I'm just like, there's so much here. There's so many amazing stories and I'm never going to get to them all. and I've told people that I've, I've said this for years and years and years and they're all like, you know, okay, Amanda, but it's true. And then I take out my phone cause I'm like, okay, I'm not going to buy all of these books. And then I'm just adding so many books to my Goodreads TBR and I leave with like 20 new books. I'm like, I can't do this. Like I'm sure. Okay. Bye. So I just want to like preface that all by saying that I'm not somebody who goes to bookstores often as much as I appreciate them. I tend to go to them more often when I'm traveling because I love seeing new bookstores. Oh yeah. And their layout and things, but didn't want to just like preface all of that. Sometimes I kind of avoid them to be honest.

Kelsey:

That all makes a lot of sense though. It's so funny though, but, you talk about your spending habit, like you would. You're like, I have to avoid this. And, a lot of book talk is just about like, Oh, just bought some new books, even though I'm on a book buying band. Like there's like no, no support in that area. Everyone's kind of just like, Oh yeah, I'll just buy. Whatever I need. I have no self control either.

Amanda:

Well, cause that's the other thing too is like, and we've talked about this before, I think on here, like I live in a one bedroom apartment. Like I, if I bought books at the rate I read them, I, it would look like an episode of hoarders in here. You know, like it just like,

Kelsey:

it's not stateable. What's the date today? It's February 23rd. And Amanda, tell us how many books you've read so far this year already.

Amanda:

I think 17 or 18. It's not that late.

Kelsey:

No,

Amanda:

you've been reading so much recently. It's been great.

Kelsey:

But yeah, you would have a library very soon. Yeah,

Amanda:

I would just be like, yeah, as much as I would love that, I would love to have a library, but I have no space. I'm also, since I'm not a rereader, it's like, they would just be there for show after I read them. Like, I'm not going to go back and reread them. So it's not really practical for me.

Kelsey:

But I really do like reading and like, referencing. books. Yeah. Or just like, yeah. one thing that I do that isn't very typical of like booktalkers is, I don't like buying an unfinished series because I do, I do want them all to match. And also it. What if they have like a really great, like special edition when it's all done? And like, what are we supposed to do? Like have all these mismatched? Yeah, I feel like people do that. Oh yeah, people do. But like, yeah, I haven't bought ACOTAR because of that. And I haven't bought Fourth Wing because of that. I thought ACOTAR was finished.

Amanda:

Is it not done? No, it's

Kelsey:

not. Wait, what? Yeah. There's going to be another book. Another book is coming out like 2026. Oh Lord. And it's likely going to be about Elaine.

Amanda:

Oh, so it's

Kelsey:

not following, what's her name? Feyre. Feyre. No, I think like Feyre's series is done. Like the three.

Amanda:

Oh, so it's kind of like, okay. And

Kelsey:

then it's an extension. Yeah.

Amanda:

Oh, okay. Well, okay. All right. Yeah.

Kelsey:

Wings didn't run the one that you have right now. Yeah. that is like the final. That, not the end, but it's a natural wrap up, but she's in the other books. Okay. But not as the main character. Not as the main character. I see.

Amanda:

Okay. Because

Kelsey:

Nesta is the main character of the, book after, but there is that novella where I guess she is the main character, but it's a novella.

Amanda:

Well, I, yeah, I do have Ackawar on my, I'm looking at Ackawar because I got it from my friend Anna and, Yeah. It's just so freaking long and I'm like, oh,

Kelsey:

it is long, but I think you're going to like it more though.

Amanda:

yeah, I might save it for another school break. I might wait to dive into it then, but I will get, I think I'm going to read Iron Flame within the next couple of weeks because it's here and it's shorter and I don't want the details from the first book to leave my mind. So, but anyhow, we keep going off on tangents. Okay. So let's talk about. Like our ideal bookstore. Like what we look for in a bookstore that makes us happy. I can see from our, like our list, like there's definitely some pretty overlap, but it's pretty similar. I think the only thing that's different from mine, which is the one I'll start with this, like. For me, I enjoy bookstores that are like airy and open and spacious. And I know you're like, okay, that's kind of a random thing to say, but have you ever been in like one of those little, I don't know, kind of mom and pop kind of bookstores where it's just, you're crammed in there. There's. Books on the floor. The aisles are narrow. Everyone's on top of each other. Like I am claustrophobic and when I'm in stores like that, I know some people might find it like cute and cozy and cluttered and I'm like, get me out of here. I can't actually enjoy browsing because I feel like I'm suffocating and so then I don't want to dawdle. Right. I'm like in and out. So I think for me, like. and I'm like, okay, like I can take a moment because I have been, and this is usually for like used bookstores, I think more so than ones that focus on like new books. I'm sure you've been in them too. You know what I'm talking about? It's just like, Yeah. It kind of feels like, a room in your grandmother's house, right? And it's just like kind of musty, right? There's kind of stuff everywhere. The organization isn't super great.

Kelsey:

Yeah.

Amanda:

Not for me.

Kelsey:

I, I also am not a huge fan of used bookstores because they do feel like that. and like the whole stacking of books on the floor. I'm like, I don't get that. I'm sorry, I'm not going to go sifting through them, just looking for random books. So I partially agree. I don't need them to have like wide open spaces and things like that. That's nice. But I, I definitely don't like the stacked books or like that, that feeling. That

Amanda:

you can't win. Or just like the narrow aisles that bothers me. Cause like, especially if there's multiple people in there, you just kind of feel like you're all on top of each other. I just, I don't know. That's a me thing. And I'm just like, no, like I need space.

Kelsey:

But, yeah, yeah.

Amanda:

But one thing we do have in common is like employee recommendations. Love them. Yes. Especially because like as I mentioned, I get overwhelmed sometimes with bookstores. So having those little notes and things helps to narrow my focus down. Like, all right, let me just kind of focus on these books, see what they had to say. And, you

Kelsey:

know, I sometimes wish they had fewer in the bookstore actually, like employee recommendations. Cause I want to read all of them. And I can't read 50 of them, you know, what I also like is, sometimes that that is a display, but then a huge display, but then also they'll do the smaller tags like within the bookshelves itself that those ones I really like because then I'm like, Oh, I was looking at this book. What are they saying about it? Like, that's, that's

Amanda:

what I was referring to. It's like, I like the tags more than the display is like, here's what our employees are reading. Cause yeah, they're kind of sprinkled throughout. And generally there's a little paragraph that accompanies it. That's like, here's why I liked it. And here's what you can expect from this book. And it just, I don't know, it's such a personal thing. And yeah, you feel like you're just like book buds and you can find books, similar tastes.

Kelsey:

I do like that.

Amanda:

So I really love when bookstores have those. and then I think also we both said this to you, just having places to sit and read. And I know not, not every bookstore can. A comedy for this because it's, you know, you're, you're paying for square footage and a bigger space, but, it's nice especially if you're book browsing to like sit down and maybe go through a couple of pages and read through it to see if it's something you want to invest in or yeah, revisit a book that you already love that you haven't picked up in a while. cause it also feels more like a library and I love libraries.

Kelsey:

Yes. So that's a

Amanda:

big one, a big one. I agree. I agree.

Kelsey:

I feel like Yeah, I want bookstores to feel like libraries, you know, like you can come in, study, or meet with people, or read, or, you know,

Amanda:

yeah, just like bask in the bookishness.

Kelsey:

Yeah, I really love that. I just went to a giant library. And it was somewhat like that, but in Mexico city, if you ever go, it's this, like, seriously, I, they probably have a million books in there and it was massive and the shelves were like hanging above you and you had to like climb up on these stairs and then, they had like seven, maybe seven different floors and you go up and then you can see all the books and there's like giant space in the middle and like. Both sides. Like, yeah, it was just, it looks crazy from the

Amanda:

pictures you put. And there

Kelsey:

were tons of areas to sit and read or study or do whatever you're doing. yeah. Do you remember the name

Amanda:

of it

Kelsey:

yes. Bibliotheca. Okay,

Amanda:

I was like, aside from the word for library.

Kelsey:

La Biblioteca Vasconcelos. Vasconcelos. And it is in Ciudad de Mexico. And, you can visit there and it doesn't cost anything to visit. You can just go and check things out. Yeah, it looks

Amanda:

amazing. Yeah. Part of it reminded me of the, like, the top. floor of the Seattle Public Library, like the main one downtown, because just like the structure and like the architecture of it reminded me a bit of that. but yeah, I love the library. Oh my gosh. I, I appreciate, I was going to, I was like, do I like libraries more than bookstores? I was like, no, I think I love them equally because they offer different things. But I, I remember even when I was looking for a college. Back when I was in high school, one of my number one criteria when I was, you know, going to do these campus visits was like the library. Like if it had a bad library, I was like, Nope, not even going to consider this college. Where

Kelsey:

did you go to college? Do I even know? I,

Amanda:

probably not. It's so, it was when I went, it was called Mount Union College. It was like this teeny tiny, like 2000 person liberal arts college in Ohio. And then it's now the University of Mount Union. so it's a bit bigger, but it's super teeny. and like their libraries was, was good, but I mainly went cause I got a scholarship. I was like,

Kelsey:

I was like, but if the library sucks, I'm not taking the money.

Amanda:

I definitely would have at that point. but yeah, libraries, I love, but, the last thing that I had in common and you can mention the one thing that you had that was different, or actually I agree with this as well. I just didn't put it on the list. That having an addition of having like places to sit. It is also nice if there's like an adjoining. Cafe, and then that way, yeah, you can grab some friends, grab your latest read it, grab a hot beverage and a snack and stay for a while, especially in Seattle. Right. Because we have these gray, wet winters where you're not necessarily going to want to be outside, although you could. And so finding places to curl up with a book other than your couch is just really, yes. So, or

Kelsey:

bed or your bed,

Amanda:

your bed or your reading chair. so I really love when, again, I'm not every bookstore can accommodate for that, but when they can, I think that's just such a lovely addition.

Kelsey:

And just makes me want to stay longer. Exactly. I got food. Exactly. Good

Amanda:

business model.

Kelsey:

I could see this going places, Amanda, for us. as in we create a bookstore store. And on one side of the bookstore, it's Amanda's recs And then the other side is Kelsey's recs And it's like completely different, like decorations. And then we have a boxing

Amanda:

ring in the middle where we just like go to town once a month. We don't actually fight. We just sit in it and we like chat. Yes. Oh my gosh. It'd be so fun. But I like read your other bullet points. I like this one too. Yeah.

Kelsey:

So I think one thing I think That Elliot Bay does really well and we're going to highlight that bookstore in a bit, but they Highlight like very different perspectives. And authors like very well and they do like, you know That was monthly themes, but I think it goes beyond that too where they have very specific section You know, they have a queer section. You're going to find like just about anything there but they're also putting that to the forefront too. It's not just like, Oh, they're just like trinkled in, to, did you say trinkled? Trickled into the section. Trinkled. I've heard that. so,

Amanda:

trinkled into, it's like a mix of trinkle and sprinkle. It's trinkled. Oh, there you go. I'm

Kelsey:

just gonna say that now, it's actually at the forefront and, they'll have like their displays that showcase these different, books and they're not, they don't have a section like found on TikTok. Cause also I think that it's not doing, I don't know, maybe they are making a lot of sales for that, but like, I don't come to a bookstore to just find books from book talk, right? The ones that are popular. I go to bookstores to see what else is out there, right? And if those are the only ones highlighted, then those are the only ones that are going to be read. You know what I mean? And so I really love it when a bookstore is going beyond that and going beyond the trends and it's, it's interesting

Amanda:

that you mentioned that though, because, one of my friends sent me a video maybe last month about Barnes and Nobles and how there are kind of seeing this like uptick, in patronage and customers. And one of the things they mentioned in there was the fact that, you know, Book talk is really helping with that. And so a lot of bookstores are creating displays, right. Around what's trending on book talking, what's turning on social media to get people in it. I mean, it's working right. And a lot of people are visiting for those reasons, but yeah, I think it's important to go beyond that. And yeah, I agree that Elliott Bay does a really good job of just in general, having like. They have a very diverse collection and like they carry books that I think some other places might not, especially depending on what state you're in, or community. and so yeah, that's super important and you know, a big part of what we want to do here on the podcast too. And it's why we have like our book recs episodes each month as well, because we want folks to read. You know, different perspectives and diverse authors. are there any other things that we love about bookstores? I'm trying to, I feel like those are the main ones for me. That's gonna like make me.

Kelsey:

Yeah, I think those are the main ones. And then even just like being able to Because Seattle is a big city, however, like I frequent places like Elliot Bay, like, I don't know people yet there, but, there is another bookshop that I go to where I know the woman, and, I just think that having that what is it? Familiarity

Amanda:

around

Kelsey:

The workers there or even the actual owners with their customers. I really love that when bookstores do that, or they're just like. And

Amanda:

I think going off of that too, like for me, a big thing with bookstores is proximity. So one of the reasons why I love it because it's like a great book, it is a great bookstore. It's not just that it's also like, it's so convenient for me. Like I can literally walk there. from where I work and so I can go there before after work or like during a long break and pick up a book or meet someone after work for some tea in their cafe and a

Kelsey:

photo sesh

Amanda:

for a podcast. We did do yes. We did our promo photos at Elliott Bay. but yeah, so proximity is a big thing. And one thing. Seattle's an interesting city. Because, I mean it's not massive, but it's, you know, a sizable city, but it's broken up into a series of like really distinct neighborhoods. Yeah. And so each of those neighborhoods has like their local bookshop or bookstore, which I love. and. Even though I don't live in Cap Hill, I work there and so it feels kind of like, oh, this is one of my neighborhood like bookstores and Yeah, just having that connection like you said and familiarity is really important Yeah,

Kelsey:

one last thing is a lot of bookstores do this but Having events for authors to come I think is really really fun. I was so upset because I Penn Cole, the author of Spark of the Other Flame, came to, actually I don't know if you knew this, but Third Place Books is owned by Elliott Bay. They're the same owners. Oh, I didn't,

Amanda:

I didn't know that.

Kelsey:

And, Third Place Books had her talk last week and I was like, oh my god, I'm so going.

Amanda:

And then you were gone. I was in Mexico City and I was so upset. I was

Kelsey:

so upset.

Amanda:

She'll probably be back.

Kelsey:

Oh, because she's definitely an author. I want to see. And like, she is well known, but like our local bookstores will have authors like that. Oh yeah. I love that when, they do that.

Amanda:

I actually have another confession to make. I've never been to an author book talk, ever, it's just never happened. Like I've gone to presentations and speeches by people who have written books, especially at conferences. Yeah. You know, and I've gotten to like, kind of hear authors talk about their work in that sense, but I've never gone to like a bookstore. Like that had you know an author coming in and giving a talk and then doing a book signing like I've never done that in Like an intimate setting which would be cool to do.

Kelsey:

I Have but it's been a while But one of the ones that I have gone to which was partially because he's a celebrity but Rainn Wilson Actually, he's from here. Yeah. he wrote the book. What was it called? Boom. Soul boom or something like that. he came to Seattle and yeah, he's from here and grew up. Oh my God. It was like wild, to think. But anyway, that was like, It was a book talk, but it also like, you know, cause he's a celebrity. He talked about some other things too. yeah. Soul boom is what it's called.

Amanda:

That was a more

Kelsey:

recent ones. Yeah.

Amanda:

I need to add that to my bucket list to try and do a book talk this year. okay. Yeah, we should go together and then we can like, tell people we're going and be like hey.

Kelsey:

And

Amanda:

Amanda loves it. We have to find, we have to find an author, do we have an author that we both mutually like? I don't know. I, well, we both liked, well she's not alive anymore, but we both liked Kindred. Oh yeah, yeah. And we both for the most part liked Kennedy Ryan from last

Kelsey:

month as well. Yeah, yeah. If Ijeoma ever does a talk, like we could go to one of hers. Oh, that would be cool, yeah. We would definitely go to that. Yeah. Yeah.

Amanda:

For sure. For sure. We'll put it on our bucket list for this year. so what we want to do as well, like we've mentioned before, is take a little bit of time just to highlight a couple of, again, local and PNW based bookstores. Again, for folks who both are listening and live in this area and for folks who, you know, might find yourself in this neck of the woods. So we have two, larger bookstores and then two that are a bit more niche. and we're going to start with the, the bookstore you hear about so much from this podcast, from us, which is the Elliott Bay book company. it's here in Seattle, it's in Cap Hill. and I learned a little bit more about its background. Preparing for this episode. So it started back in the seventies in 1973. and, a lovely man named Walter Carr started it. And he actually, for those of you who are familiar with the Seattle area, it started out in pioneer square, so not a cap Hill. And then in 2010, they relocated everything over to cap Hill where it is now. it is. Yeah. It's crazy.

Kelsey:

I heard that it's actually, it was a much bigger down in Pioneer Square.

Amanda:

Yeah. That's what I heard too.

Kelsey:

So

Amanda:

they downsized a bit, but it's still, I mean, the, the L. A. Bay, like book company, it's still quite a sizable store. It's not like you're like a little kind of hole in the wall store at all. very spacious. There. Yeah. Just along their front, I guess. Actually, I think there's no, there's windows in the cafe. On the backside. Yeah. There's one. There's like two, I think. There's natural light. and the cool thing about LA Babe Book Company is that now, even though it was founded by a man, it's now a both a woman owned and a queer owned business. So like, we love that. Very cool. and like we said, has not only a diverse collection of books, but a very large selection. They carry around 150, 000 titles, which is

Kelsey:

a lot.

Amanda:

so you can find pretty much anything there, like, it's like library sized.

Kelsey:

And if they don't have it, you can order it through them. So, so that's,

Amanda:

I'm glad you pointed that out because like, in addition to it having like, their brick and mortar collection, they also have a website that you can order books through as well. If they don't have them in store and like all of the books that I pre ordered, I pre ordered it like online through their website. and then another cool thing, this ties into what we were just talking about, like almost daily they host, like author reading series as well. So it's also a hub for the community as well. So they've got events going on all the time. and it's just, yeah, very much a space to connect and, you know, meet other bookish folks. You know, a

Kelsey:

funny thing too, I, I've seen multiple times because, oh God. I love going to Elliott Bay, is that they host a coffee tasting at, Elliott Bay. I think, it's like one of those where they have a relationship with someone that does the tour. And so they come in and they'll have these like people sitting around that big table in the cafe and they'll be like tasting their coffee. Yeah. They go off to their next place.

Amanda:

I will say though, one of the things that is a little frustrating about Elliott Bay is that it is so hard to get a seat in their cafe. I absolutely, I have actually never been to the, I mean, I've walked into it and every single time I've gone to like find a spot, I there's, I've never, I've literally never been able to get a seat. So I don't know if my timing is just, it's probably the timing.

Kelsey:

Yeah.

Amanda:

Because I'm going, after school, and so it's like, I don't know, like, 315, 330, so I guess people are still, like, doing work from home type stuff, and also, Or

Kelsey:

kids, you know, like, older kids are, Getting off.

Amanda:

No, but there's just never seats.

Kelsey:

Yeah. I would say Saturdays and Sundays are really hard, but then like Friday evenings are pretty quiet. Oh, that would, that would make sense. But you, that doesn't make sense for you to like be there. So anyway. I would say, yeah, those are the times that we have had success, but yeah, they could definitely use like an expansion,

Amanda:

we love Elliot Bay. like I said, we did our promo photos there. And so if you're in the area, or visiting, and it's also like in the heart of Cap Hill too, so if you are visiting, it's like, oh, you're already in Cap Hill anyway, like stop by and snag a book. Yeah. Support a local bookstore.

Kelsey:

Mm hmm.

Amanda:

Okay. Cool. Give me the next one.

Kelsey:

Well, I'm going to be highlighting Powell's City of Books, which is located in Portland, Oregon. And this is like a really famous bookstore, even across the country. it is larger than Ellia Bay. Much longer by a lot. but like you said, it is not in Seattle. It is in Portland, Oregon, which is not too far from us. and anytime I go down there, I like to go to at least one of their locations. but this particular one we are highlighting is the largest. of their, locations and the original, I believe, right? Mm

Amanda:

hmm. Yep.

Kelsey:

so they're located in the Pearl District, opened in 1971. So similar to Elliott Bay. Yeah, two years apart. They've been around

Amanda:

for

Kelsey:

quite a while. I wonder what it was about the 70s. The 70s. Everyone's like, let's buy books. Yeah, yeah. so this is a third generation family owned business that is now being run by Emily Powell, which is just, that's wild. It's just like stayed in the family. That's insane. she's the granddaughter of the founder, Michael Powell. It is the largest used and new bookstore in the world.

Amanda:

It's crazy. It occupies an entire city block. That's yeah. That's like one of the reasons why it's like.

Kelsey:

I did know it was an entire city block, but that, okay, largest bookstore in the, wow. I am just like wrestling with that. They're like used and new bookstore. I

Amanda:

think that's the important thing. Cause it's probably like a larger, just like new

Kelsey:

bookstore.

Amanda:

Yeah. New bookstore. Yeah.

Kelsey:

so yeah. And it's occupying an entire city block and housing approximately. Yeah. Totally. 1 million books. Yep. Which is crazy. There's a shit ton of books there. Elliot Bay has

Amanda:

150, 000, which we think that's a lot. That is a lot.

Kelsey:

1 million. But yeah, I get it because if you've ever been to Powell's, it is a maze for one. And there's like different sections and it's so wild because I was looking for, Specifically, when I was there last, I was looking for, what is it called? Dang it, it is a really popular, Zodiac Academy, okay? Oh yeah, I've heard of that. Zodiac Academy, and it has like 12, 15 books, whatever. And I thought I was gonna find it, like, really quickly. But they, they were like, Oh, it's in our Romance section. But in the Romance section, they have all these different sections in it. Yeah, sections. Where it's like, paranormal, and like, Dark romance, like it, it is wild and it's like at least three different areas, right? Like shelves or whatever. Rose is what I want to say for just that one genre and all of the sub genres and then you go into a completely different room and then you're in like historical fiction or a fantasy. It's a completely different section and it's just like, it's, it's wild. And then there's children's books, there's technical books, there's everything under the sun there. Well, to your

Amanda:

point, it has nine different color coded rooms and within those there are over 3000. 500 different sections. Just like that. That's never wash over you. 3, 500 sections. Yes. It's insane. I remember when I went, it's wild. My speaking of anxiety inducing, I was like, Oh my good Lord. Like I physically don't know where to start. Like where do I even begin to wander through this massive building? and it's difficult finding things, but they also do the employee recs, which I love.

Kelsey:

Yeah. and then. Also just highlighting one last, like not important detail but like side note about them, is that they have a one of a kind rare book room. Did you go to it or have you? I didn't. Did

Amanda:

you?

Kelsey:

No, I've, I've, I've actually never seen it. It's

Amanda:

very rare. It's just tucked away somewhere,

Kelsey:

which would not be surprising because it is a maze. But there was something else I wanted to say about Powell's, but now I forgot.

Amanda:

I don't know. Well, maybe it'll come to you, but I would say, yeah, if you are in the PNW, if you're in Portland and you're a book lover, like you, you can't not go to Powell's. I remember the very first time I went to Portland, that was like one of the number one reasons why I was going was to check out the bookstore, but definitely give yourself. At minimum an hour, like at minimum, just to like get the lay of the land. If you actually want to browse, give yourself like half a day or several hours.

Kelsey:

Several, like for real though. For real though. Yeah.

Amanda:

No, it takes forever, especially if you want to go to every section.

Kelsey:

That was the other thing I was going to say too, is that I'll go to the bookstores, with my husband, but like, I should really go to bookstores by myself because I'm never ready to leave the bookstore, like it's never, that's never, Oh yeah, I'm done. I just like peruse and peruse and peruse and peruse, be like, Ooh, this book sounds cool. Oh, what about this book? And just like read. The backs of all of them and just find new things. I love doing that. And I can do that for hours. Like maybe you and I should just

Amanda:

go down to Powell sometime and, just spend the day later. See this woman buried in the stack somewhere, like our hair's a mess or just like haven't eaten.

Kelsey:

We're like, we're like, okay, here's the first three hours, go do what you want. And then we'll go to lunch and then go back

Amanda:

and

Kelsey:

be so fun.

Amanda:

It would be so fun. We should just do like a lit vibes only book, a road trip like down there. Yeah. Yeah. It's really wild. And it's certainly. Totally. Totally. I want to say it's the largest bookstore I've ever personally been in. I don't think I've ever been in a larger one.

Kelsey:

Bookstore, yes. Library, no. No, yeah. I was just talking about that library. I was surprised too, though, like there were bookstores everywhere in the city of Mexico City. Sorry, I was like talking in Spanish. The

Amanda:

city of Mexico.

Kelsey:

Yeah. Around every corner, like I'd be like, and so Saudi would look at me and he'd be like, another one. And I'd be like, DJ Khaled, another one. I actually just put down these books that I bought in, Mexico city. I'm so excited about them. I can't believe you bought Pride. Your favorite. Oh

Amanda:

my God. Oh yeah. I love anyhow, but now, now

Kelsey:

there's gonna be a second one. And now I'm like, oh, great. Now it's a series and I already bought the first one in the series. But you knew that

Amanda:

already.'cause

Kelsey:

we talked about it on the phone. I forgot

Amanda:

I was like, I want it. Oh my goodness. Well, any who? Yes. so yes, Powell's is amazing. Elliot Bay is amazing. But we also wanted to take time. To highlight to lesser known and smaller bookstores that we like, they're a bit more niche and, have something a little different to offer and kind of stand out from the bookstore world in their own special ways. So Kelsey's got one. And then I've got one as well.

Kelsey:

So also situated in Capitol Hill, is twice sold tales and, Amanda, you've never been here.

Amanda:

I've never been, I've literally dropped people off to go there, but I've never been inside.

Kelsey:

You're like, bye. Peace. So, the cool thing about Twice sold Tales, it is a used bookstore, and does have that thing going on, you know, where it has stacks. I know, I saw

Amanda:

through the window and

Kelsey:

I was like, don't need to go in there. but it also has collectible and rare books, highlighted. And so, The other really cool thing about this bookstore is that it has four cats. And I don't know what it is about bookstores and cats, but this is a really popular thing. This was even, I just came back from Exo City, we didn't talk about it. There were also bookstores down there with cats. I'm like, what is this? Cats love to read. They're highly literate. So,

Amanda:

and very discerning in their tastes.

Kelsey:

so it's a cool bookstore to check out if you're ever in the area or you didn't know about it and you live here. twice sold tails.

Amanda:

Yes. If you're a cat lover, that is the place for you. In fact,, my cousin who came to visit. She loves cats, has like two of her own, and she was like, I have to go here. And I was like, let me drop you off and I will continue on my way. You're like, literally I will not go in there. I mean, maybe I will at some point, but, the other one we wanted to highlight also in cat pill. and this one, It is, again, very close to where I work, but haven't been, mainly because this place is a technical bookstore, and so, on the surface, I'm like, oh, there's probably not a lot in there that I would be interested in reading, but, the name of it is Ada's Technical Books and Cafe. So it's another like combo bookstore cafe, which we love. And it's actually named after Ada Lovelace, who is considered to be the world's first computer programmer. which is amazing. And we want to like, again, celebrate, highlight women. and they're just a self proclaimed home for geeks, right. And like want to bring out the inner geek in all of us. And so their book collection is very much focused on like STEM related books. And, with, you know. Trinkled in there is, I honestly didn't realize that you did it. I was like, wait for it. Is she going to pick a pocket? That sounds like the real world. I know just trinkled in there. Trinkled in this STEM related book. She'll also find some fantasy books and some sci fi books as well. So if that is your thing, it's a really cool spot to check out. if it's not your thing. You probably should as well. I definitely should check it out. But again, just something like that's a little bit more off the beaten path, a little bit out of the ordinary, not your standard bookstore. And, again, if you find yourself in the area or if you live here and haven't been, definitely a cool local business, local bookstore to support. They

Kelsey:

also have like one cozy chair and it's always taken. It's a smaller area. Yeah. It's a smaller They do have, they have like the cafe, they have like the one cozy chair and then like in the back, they also have like another table that people can sit on, or sit at. I want to highlight them too, in a way where I think that they also do a good job of highlighting diverse authors, because this is also where I found black sun, which is by Rebecca Roanhorse. And, it was like one of the highlighted books, you know? And so I was like, Oh, I didn't know that she had another book out or whatever. And it's a whole series. And, can't wait to get into that, but. That's where I found that one. That's awesome.

Amanda:

Yeah. I mean, you can tell in the name of the story as well. Yeah. Like the fact that they're celebrating a female computer programmer. So that's definitely really important. I don't, I don't believe it's. Woman owned, I think it's owned by a couple actually. Oh, okay. I think it's, yeah, it's owned by Danielle and David Holton. so they're the founders and forever geeks, that's what it says on their website. but yeah, so we just wanted to, again, talk a little bit about, like, what we love about bookstores and, share some kind of local recs for places to check out. I know I say this all the time, but again, we really do want to hear from you. And so if you were in like the Seattle or PNW, PNW area and have recommendations, share them if you're not sure of them anyway, like we have different followers in different parts of the country. And so we can just kind of compile a lovely list of bookstores that we can, you know, do our best to support. Cause we really want it. We want them to stick around. We need our bookstores to stick around and that's just a great way to spread the love. So let us know. And then also let us know what you love about a good bookstore. Like, do you agree with our list or do you have other qualifications that we did? Yeah, that we overlooked, that we didn't touch on. so let us know about that, but I think that wraps it up for us. I guess I can, we did the thing I'll, quickly do the social since you did them at the beginning. it's such a lovely job. so We are Lit Vibes only podcast on Instagram and then Lit Vibes Only Podcast on YouTube. And TikTok, if you feel so inclined, you could send us an email at Lit Vibes only podcast@gmail.com. Say hey, just say hey again. No, one's done it yet. You could be the first. And I'm just going to say this here. Now, whoever sends us the first email, we will send you a sticker, just like include your mailing address in the body of the email, and we'll absolutely send you a free limited edition lip vibes, only sticker just because, but yeah, don't forget to rate and review like that's super, super important as well. Again, especially if you're just. rating. It literally takes less than a second to just click that five stars. and we would be deeply appreciative. And, otherwise we will see you next Monday.

Kelsey:

See you next Monday. Bye.