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Magnolia’s Bookstore:

A Community Hub for Generations of Book Lovers

By Norma Goldstein

Magnolia’s Bookstore, an integral part of the Magnolia community for thirty-four years, could be considered a great-granddaughter of Seattle’s first documented independent bookstore, the University Book Store, which was opened in 1900 by two University of Washington students in a Denny Hall cloakroom (1). Generations of families have shopped for books and educational gifts at Magnolia’s Bookstore in the Magnolia Village. The friendly booksellers who talk with customers and help provide reading materials for all ages have become a valued part of the Magnolia community over the years.

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Georgiana Dix Blomberg is the bookstore’s owner and a well-recognized face in Magnolia. She enjoys the community atmosphere and the generations of people she has come to know. “There’s a strong sense of community here. We talk about fascinating topics with people,” she says. “Coworkers and customers are our neighbors and our friends” (2).

Blomberg moved to the area in 1985 and resided in Magnolia for twenty-eight years until a recent move. While Blomberg’s undergraduate degree from the University of Washington was focused on coastal zone management, her master’s degree in library science suited her professional life better. She first began working at Magnolia’s Bookstore as a salesperson in 1992 after college before becoming its manager. Ten years later, she purchased the store from its original owner, Molly Cook. An avid reader herself, Blomberg enjoys fiction, nature books, biographies, and travel and adventure stories, all genres which can be found on the shelves of her store.

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“I bought the bookstore in 2001,” Blomberg explains. “Reading tastes change over time as does the publishing world, so I try to keep up with changing times…. The store’s inventory reflects changes in the community and changes in the publishing industry” (3).

 

Blomberg says, “A really cool thing for me and my staff is when people come in whom we knew as babies. They now bring their children with them” (4). To those families who settle into the neighborhood where they grew up, Magnolia’s Bookstore is more than just a local business—it’s a childhood tradition that they want to pass on to the next generation (5). “Family traditions are made and continued between the customers and Magnolia’s Bookstore,” observes Debra Miller, who has been a Magnolia resident for twenty-three years and a bookseller at the store for the past nineteen years. “It’s a beautiful thing to see" (6). Teenagers who bought edgy Stephen King novels in 1992 are now coming into the shop to show off their children and grandchildren and introduce them to the children’s section (7).

Fig. 1. Georgiana Dix Blomberg welcomes customers into Magnolia’s Bookstore with her usual friendly demeanor.

Courtesy of Magnolia’s Bookstore.

Fig. 2. Librarian and bookseller Yvette Olsen has worked at Magnolia’s Bookstore for a decade. She stands beside shelves filled with books recommended by employees.

Photo by Georgiana Blomberg. February 2025.

Inventory reflects changes

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As reading tastes change, the store’s inventory has come to include more young adult fiction, fantasy, graphic novels, and science fiction—plus romantasy, “a subgenre of fiction that combines romance and fantasy. Romantasy features fantasy hallmarks such as magic systems, mythology, high stakes, and abundant worldbuilding featuring richly detailed worlds” (8). Olsen comments that “romantasy is big now, as people seem to want to devour these large, engrossing epics” (9).

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“When I first worked at the store, it was mostly older people, not very many young ones,” Blomberg said. “And now there’s so many young people. We didn’t have that many kids’ books, and now we have a huge number. They come in alone or with their friends” (10).

 

The shop’s mainstays remain high-quality fiction and narrative nonfiction titles. Both Blomberg and coworkers go out of their way to suggest books for every age group and demographic. Shelves dedicated to adults are loaded with trending titles, New York Times bestsellers, books that have been discussed on National Public Radio, and celebrity book club picks.

Fig. 3. Magnolia’s Bookstore is filled with color, signage, table and wall shelf displays, and well-organized racks and sections throughout the store. All types of artwork and festive decorations hang from the ceiling,

inspiring readers to explore what the store offers.

Photo by Norma Goldstein. February 2025.

Longtime bookstore employee Yvette Olsen notes, “The store itself is lost in time and has not changed one bit; but the way people read has changed as more and more people have switched to a Kindle or other devices” (11). At first Blomberg saw sales drop with the rising popularity of e-books, but the impact wore off and the effect was less than expected and print books remain popular. “The neighborhood returns to the store time after time,” she adds (12).

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A 2005 front-page article in Magnolia News by Sean Molnar, “Creating Community at Magnolia’s Bookstore,” included insights from Heidi Stauber, a bookstore employee from 1997 to 2006. Stauber observed: “Now people come to bookstores to spend time. They’ll come and meet their friends, sit and read for a while, talk, go get a cup of coffee, let their children play. It’s more of a get-together place in a neighborhood” (13).

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Over its thirty-plus years, the bookstore’s interior has remained cozy and quaintly designed with its gray carpeting, caramel-colored shelves, and dozens of lively and provocative posters. Every section is labeled clearly by genre and has some distinctive feature, a sign or poster—whether it be the alphabet and Roald Dahl posters over the children’s book sections or a plastic globe hanging in the travel section.

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Throughout the store, signs display inspirational words for customers about the benefits of reading. Blomberg’s favorite sign is on the right side of the store, about the power of stories guiding readers through our vast world.

A neighborhood hub

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Today, Magnolia’s Bookstore anchors local enterprises. It is nestled between Petit Pierre Bakery (owned by renowned French pastry chef Pierre Poulin and his wife Chef Joanna Chau, whose degree in pastry and specialty bread is from Seattle Culinary Academy) on the right, and Pizza IL Villaggio Magnolia (owned by Jeffrey Stern, an executive chef for over thirty years) on the left. Employee Olsen comments, “It is definitely a neighborhood store, with customers who can walk down to the Village. We get customers who have just bought a pastry or coffee at the French bakery next door, or they come in while their pizza is being made on the other side of the wall” (14).

 

In a 2021 piece in Seattle Gay News, writer Lindsey Anderson observed:

If you take a stroll down Magnolia’s sweet and quiet streets, you might just stumble upon a friendly neighborhood stop, Magnolia’s Bookstore. Sitting right next to a lovely little bakery, it's the perfect place to enjoy a morning coffee, a croissant, and a new novel.… Magnolia’s Bookstore is definitely a piece of the community, and Blomberg has worked hard to make sure the books on the shelves match the energy and environment she sees on the street outside. (15)

Fig. 4. The biography and nonfiction section offers a wide variety of faces and life stories.

Photo by Norma Goldstein. January 2025

What makes a bookstore successful?

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According to Blomberg, several factors create a winning recipe for commercial longevity. Blomberg’s approach to bookselling apparently works for her six coworkers (four regular part-time staff and two who fill in during vacations), who are happy working at the store with her and who enjoy their like-minded customers. “We’re all friends. I really appreciate what my coworkers bring to the store,” says Blomberg. “We all love books” (16).

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Miller mulls over her years at the store as a part-time bookseller: “Our customers are great. They are people who love reading and sharing that enthusiasm with us, their families, and their friends and often with total strangers they run into at the store. They are informed, curious, and have a wonderful diversity of interests” (17).

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Commenting on the changes in the bookstore, she adds: “Now people tend to come in with a better idea of what they want. Customers are conscientiously and consciously making the choice to support a local business” (18). This was especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Blomberg praises Magnolia community members for being loyal customers who purchased gift certificates and books. She states, “Even during the pandemic, adults, kids and young adults with gift certificates came into the store by themselves to buy a book or game. Parents trusted us to listen to them and to advise them well. The bookstore is a safe space. We appreciate the community support” (19).

 

According to Miller, Blomberg is meticulous about ordering books that meet the needs of the community. “The bookstore is like many other independent bookstores in that its stock is well-curated to suit the usual patrons, while still being able to provide good reading material to visitors” (20).

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Employee Yvette Olsen agrees. “It’s a great store for kids. We also get customers looking for a pleasant vacation read, or the latest title for their book club. I would say they are mostly general readers, looking more for inspiration or entertainment rather than those reading for a class or course of study.” She adds, “The best part of working here is being recognized away from the store as ‘The Bookstore Lady’ (or at least one of them!). I have been greeted shyly by kids who remember me helping them find a title and have seen flashes of recognition in the faces of other people if I go to a literary event, such as Seattle Arts and Lectures, that I am the person who mentioned the featured author to them” (21).

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Magnolia’s Bookstore is an independent bookstore, not affiliated with any major bookselling outfit other than Bookshop.org, which supports local, independent bookstores for online orders. It’s not less expensive, but independent bookstores support each other. They also stock books, for example, for the Global Reading Challenge, a reading incentive program for 4th and 5th graders enrolled in Seattle Public Schools. Students form teams, read selected books, and then take part in a trivia competition (22). Magnolia’s Bookstore keeps in touch with and works collaboratively with the local public schools and the Seattle Public Library to help the community’s younger and older readers.

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Many of Magnolia’s customers are book club members who specifically come to the store to read the staff recommendations, often handwritten and signed by store booksellers and local customers who enjoy sharing their views. Over the years, a spate of local book clubs has been generated and supported by the bookstore, although Magnolia’s Bookstore staff do not keep a regular count. In the mid-1990s, one person posted a notice for anyone interested in participating in a local book club to attend a meeting at her home; that notice engendered Bookbenders, a Magnolia book club that has been actively functioning with a dozen members ever since.

Heidi Stauber, longtime employee, reveals that they keep a list of suggestions for the store’s regular customers. “If two people in the neighborhood request the same book in a short timeframe, we’ll start stocking it. So individual customers have a lot of input over what you see on the shelves, a lot more than Barnes & Noble, for instance, where they just stock whatever publishers are telling them to stock” (23).

Special offerings

 

On Saturdays, particularly during Magnolia’s farmers market from June through October, the bookstore is a lively draw. Blomberg and staff usually set a table just outside the bookstore with stock of bestsellers and books by visiting authors. With an inventory of about 10,000 books in 900 square feet of bookstore space, there is typically insufficient room for grand book signings, book readings, or author talks, although a few Magnolia authors like thriller author Mike Lawson and political commentator and memoirist Ron Reagan have made well-attended appearances (24).

 

Lawson worked for the US Navy as a nuclear engineer for thirty years and managed a number of organizations overhauling nuclear powered submarines at the naval shipyard in Bremerton. By the end of 2025, he will have published eighteen books in his DeMarco series, three in his Kay Hamilton series, and a standalone novel, Redemption (25). Lawson does indoor signings at Magnolia’s Bookstore twice a year. His latest Joe DeMarco thriller, Untouchable, was recently published and displayed in the bookstore’s window.

 

In 2011, Ron Reagan, once a Magnolia resident, spoke at the bookstore about his dad, President Ronald Reagan, after publishing his book My Father at 100: A Memoir. The event drew huge crowds to the bookstore for Reagan, a magazine journalist, radio host for KIRO broadcasting, a television host, and political analyst and commentator (26). Blomberg remembers that they sold a great number of his memoirs that day.

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Other Magnolia celebrities have visited the bookstore on a regular basis. Bill Nye lived in Magnolia during the bookstore’s early days, and he became a regular customer before moving away. He came in frequently to “hold court,” says Stauber. “He would buy a stack of Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style … and argue that Shakespeare did not write his plays, a position I disagree with,” she states (27). Nye, a former Boeing engineer, stand-up comedian, CEO of the Planetary Society, and Emmy-winning creator and host of Bill Nye, the Science Guy, wrote Everything All at Once: How to Unleash Your Inner Nerd, Tap into Radical Curiosity and Solve Any Problem in 2017, which espoused how to develop critical thinking skills (28). Blomberg remembers, “He used to stroll down and buy books and entertain us regularly, before, sadly, he eventually moved to LA and got even more famous” (29).

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Among all the events Magnolia’s Bookstore has held over the years, the Harry Potter release celebrations were some of the liveliest. For each Harry Potter book release in the late 1990s and 2000s, Blomberg recalls opening the store at 11 p.m. while eager patrons, many dressed in wizard costumes and waving their wands joyfully, created a packed line down the block. “It was wild in the street and in the store,” Blomberg says. “We had hired a magician (Amazing William) to keep the crowd entertained, and the Upper Crust Bakery next door baked Harry Potter cookies to distribute. With so many advance orders, we had piles and piles of books for sale. Exciting but crazy!” (30).

The staff of Magnolia’s Bookstore has compiled a list of its 34 top-selling books from January 1, 2021, to February 11, 2025.
 

  • The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman

  • Magnolia: Midcentury Memories & Milestones, Magnolia Historical Society

  • Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus

  • The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie, Rachel Linden

  • Still Life, Sarah Winman

  • The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, Charlie Mackesy

  • The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune

  • All Along the River, Magnus Weightman

  • The Night Watchman, Louise Erdrich

  • The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Daniel J. Brown

  • Magnolia: Memories & Milestones, Magnolia Community Club

  • My Little Golden Book About Seattle, Jennifer Liberts

  • The Hill We Climb, by Amanda Gorman

  • Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver

  • The Midnight Library, Matt Haig

  • The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid

  • Circe, Madeline Miller

  • The Lincoln Highway, Amor Towles

  • Wild Robot, Peter Brown

  • The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, David Grann

  • Dog Man #10: Mothering Heights, Dav Pilkey

  • All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr

  • James, Percival Everett

  • Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Kimmerer

  • People We Meet on Vacation, Emily Henry

  • The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson

  • A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas

  • Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt

  • Meet Tracker! (PAW Patrol), Jason Fruchter

  • Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?, Bill Martin, Jr.

  • The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller

  • Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro

  • Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure, Jeff Kinney

  • Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann

Fig. 5. Magnolians lined up inside and outside Magnolia’s Bookstore for

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on its release day, June 21, 2003.

Courtesy of Magnolia’s Bookstore.

Stauber agrees that these book release parties were “wild,” with many kids young and old dressed up in Hogwarts-themed costumes. “We had to do so much coordination for the massive sales. The line of customers was snaking through the bookstore around tables and displays from the front door to the backroom and then up to the register. Bookstores often get advance releases, and I had read the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and knew that this genre was going to be a hit for me and my own children. It was fun to read. I mostly recall the piles and piles of books that we had pre-ordered to prepare for this event” (31). 

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The Harry Potter books kindled a neighborhood yearning for more books and puzzles about magic and wizards. As soon as the release parties and sales were completed, Magnolia’s Bookstore prepared the store window with what Stauber called Harry Potter alternatives, fantasy books by other dynamic authors and books about magical spells (“grimoire”), wizardry and the supernatural.

 

Stauber also reminisces about other dress-up occasions for the bookstore during holidays. “During Christmas one year, my husband and I both wore old-fashioned outfits. The bookstore roasted chestnuts outside, and many Christmas carolers joined the festivities. It was a fun time for all,” she recalls (32). Other traditionally busy times are Magnolia’s Summerfest and Winterfest, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and even the end of the school year when kids have more time to stop by and shop. Blomberg adds, “Birthday parties are also a busy time. We do a lot of gift wrapping all the time” (33).

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For bookstore employees Olsen and Miller, the biggest event of the year, however, is the annual Seattle Independent Bookstore Day, a ten-day event when people try to visit as many bookstores as they can, collect a stamp at each one, and become eligible for prizes and discounts. Olsen and Miller agree that while that day can be hectic and overwhelming, it is also a time to bond with the many readers and other independent bookstores in Seattle. According to journalist Paul Constant, who writes “Neighborhood Reads,” there are sixty-three Seattle-area independent bookstores (34).

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Miller finds Independent Bookstore Day exhilarating. “Each independent bookstore is different from every other one because each one is in a different place, with different customers, and that is, in my opinion, why independent bookstores work. All of us are avid readers, and we are here because we love books, we love the bookstore, and we love being around people who love books and bookstores” (35).

Fig. 6. Zan Manning, a friend of Blomberg’s, painted a little rocking chair for small readers in the children’s book section as a celebration gift when she bought the store in 2001. It’s been in the store nearly a quarter of a century.

Photo by Norma Goldstein. February 2025.

Sanctuary for book lovers

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It is no secret that Magnolia’s Bookstore is a gem of the neighborhood. Corey Hayes, Compass real estate broker for the Mr. Magnolia Team, praises Magnolia’s Bookstore: “Situated in the heart of Magnolia, the bookstore is a cherished local institution that has fostered a love for reading in the community for years. Visitors are greeted by an array of thoughtfully curated titles that cater to a diverse readership, including a rich selection of contemporary and classic literature. But it goes beyond just books; the store is a hub for bibliophiles and hosts a variety of events, including book signings and reading groups, fostering a vibrant community of literature enthusiasts.” He goes on to write, “It is a sanctuary for book lovers, where each shelf offers a gateway to different worlds and perspectives” (36).

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In 2000, past president of the Magnolia Historical Society Joan Santucci wrote, “Today’s Village is definitely not just somewhere to do business, but rather a dynamic gathering spot where Magnolians can meet and greet and enjoy themselves while running necessary errands” (37).

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Today, stopping off at Magnolia’s Bookstore, talking about books with Blomberg and other knowledgeable staff, browsing recommendations for a good read, picking up an educational puzzle or game, treating a child to a fantasy book, or buying a bestseller have become traditions for readers of all ages. With its book-loving customers, Magnolia’s Bookstore is a dynamic gathering spot for generations of Magnolia’s residents.

A Magnolia resident since 1993, Norma Walrath Goldstein and her family came from the East Coast to make Seattle their permanent home. A writer, poet, and editor, she has been an educator for over fifty years. As a college dean of humanities, it was natural for her to make frequent stops at Magnolia’s Bookstore. In 1995, her posting at the bookstore led to the formation of the Bookbenders club.

Notes

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  1. “About Us – University Book Store: Our History,” University Book Store, https://www.ubookstore.com/about.

  2. Georgiana Dix Blomberg. Interview with the author, 2025.

  3. Georgiana Dix Blomberg.

  4. Georgiana Dix Blomberg.

  5. Paul Constant. “For 30 Years, Magnolia’s Bookstore has Stayed Steadfast in One of Seattle’s Most Isolated Neighborhoods,” The Seattle Times, 22 July 2021, https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/for-30-years-magnolias-bookstore-has-stayed-steadfast-in-one-of-seattles-most-isolated-neighborhoods/.

  6. Debra Miller. Interview with the author, 2025.

  7. “For 30 Years, Magnolia’s Bookstore has Stayed Steadfast.”

  8. “Romantic Fantasy,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 3 Apr. 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romantic_fantasy.

  9. Yvette Olsen. Interview with the author, 2025.

  10. Georgiana Dix Blomberg.

  11. Yvette Olsen.

  12. Georgiana Dix Blomberg.

  13. Sean Molnar. “Creating Community at Magnolia’s Bookstore,” Magnolia News, 13 Apr. 2005, p. 1

  14. Yvette Olsen.

  15. Lindsey Anderson. “Magnolia’s Bookstore: A Friendly Little Patch of Community,” SGN, 6 Aug. 2021, https://www.sgn.org/story.php?307686.

  16. Georgiana Dix Blomberg.

  17. Debra Miller.

  18. Debra Miller.

  19. Georgiana Dix Blomberg.

  20. Debra Miller.

  21. Yvette Olsen.

  22. “Global Reading Challenge,” The Seattle Public Library, 2025, https://www.spl.org/programs-and-services/fun-and-games/global-reading-challenge.

  23. “Creating Community at Magnolia’s Bookstore.”

  24. “Ron Reagan: Personal Life,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 8 Apr. 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Reagan#Personal_life.

  25. “Mike Lawson Books, About the Author.” Mike Lawson Books, 10 Feb. 2025. https://mikelawsonbooks.com/aboutauthor/.

  26. “Ron Reagan: Personal Life.”

  27. Heidi Stauber. Interview with the author, 2025.

  28. Nadia Whitehead. “Watch: How Carl Sagan Influenced the ‘Science Guy,’” Science 24 Mar. 2014. https://www.science.org/content/article/watch-how-carl-sagan-influenced-science-guy#:~:text=Bill%20Nye%20the%20Science%20Guy%20was%20inspired%20by%20Carl%20Sagan.

  29. Georgiana Dix Blomberg.

  30. Georgiana Dix Blomberg.

  31. Heidi Stauber.

  32. Heidi Stauber.

  33. Georgiana Dix Blomberg.

  34. “For 30 Years, Magnolia’s Bookstore has Stayed Steadfast.”

  35. ​Debra Miller.

  36. Corey Hays. “4 Best Places to Shop in Magnolia,” Compass, 25 Sept. 2023, https://mrmagnolia.com/blog/4-best-places-to-shop-in-magnolia. Mr. Magnolia.

  37. Jeffrey Cunningham. “Snapshot in Time: Magnolia | Magnolia’s Commercial Core: The Village,” Queen Anne & Magnolia News, 23 Dec. 2014. https://queenannenews.com/news/2014/dec/23/snapshot-in-time-magnolia-magnolias-commercial-cor/.

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