Great UW stores also independent

Thank you for your editorial in Wednesday’s paper, “Bookstores are so out they’re in.” You make excellent points.

Please don’t forget University Book Store when you cite our state’s independent bookstores. We are the state’s oldest and largest indie bookstore, by far. Our newest, and now most successful, branch store is in the Mill Creek Town Center. We are also among the top five indies nationally. And our author events program is vast and extremely popular. See http://www.bookstore.washington.edu/events/events.taf?page=201102

There has long been a misconception that, because we serve the UW, we are owned or operated by the UW and are not the same as other large indies in our state, such as Elliott Bay and Third Place. The U Book Store is an independent Washington C corporation. We have always been self-funded and our entire team is employed by the store, not the UW.

We were here long before Borders, B&N, Amazon, Crown, and all of our state’s independent bookstores. And we’re still here! We are still considered the state’s first book superstore (and among the first nationally). And, believe me, we are clearly and significantly affected by all that is happening in the book world.

Bryan Pearce
CEO
University Book Store, Inc.
Seattle