From the Phinney Books/ Madison Books Team in Seattle, WA:
It’s been a bit quiet on the newsletter side of things here, in part because we’ve had quite a bit going on, and in part because many of us have been in and out of town during the summer, but most of all because we wanted to get our plans together before letting you know about some big store news. It’s news you might have already heard some inkling of if you’re around the store a lot, but we’d like to make it official: Tom (that’s me) is selling Madison Books to Sarah Trainer and Christina Leber. Ever since James Crossley, who had managed Madison since its opening in 2019, let us know he was leaving for St. Louis last year, I realized not only that I would need to find someone else to manage the store with the kind of dedication he had, but that I would really rather find someone to take over the store entirely. As much as I love Madison Books, and as much as I’ve enjoyed the adventure of opening a second store and the fun of getting to know a new neighborhood, I’ve learned that I’m really a one-bookstore person, and that the store would be better off in the hands of an owner who could be on hand all the time.
And as it happens, that owner, or rather owners—two sisters!—appeared right in our very midst. If you’re a store regular, you’ve likely gotten to know Sarah and Christina already. (And some of you even knew them before that: they live right up the hill and grew up nearby too.) They arrived in the nick of time last fall, just as James was leaving, with an interest in getting to know the book business. And after a few months, they realized how much they loved the store and let me know they might be interested in taking over. And a few months after that, here we are! They’ve gradually taken over the running of the store, and on September 1, they’ll take over the store entirely. How will Madison Books change? Well, that’s still to be seen, but not much, at least at first. The beautiful space will remain as you know it, the staff will largely be the same, and your gift cards and frequent buyer credits will still be valid. But one of the wonderful things about independent bookstores is that they take on the personality of the people who work in them—in conversation with the readers they serve—and I am so happy for Sarah and Christina (and for Madison Books) that they’ll get the chance to make the store their own, in ways I’m sure they aren’t even aware of yet.
One important part of the transition that you should be aware of: we’ll be closing the store for the last two weeks of August, from August 17 to 31, in preparation for the change. Not so much to give the store a big makeover, but mainly so Sarah and Christina can take a deep breath and get things organized before September, which is hard to do when the train has to be kept running every day. That will mean that we won’t be available via phone for ordering and other questions, and that orders won’t be generally available for pickup during that time. But we will be available via our usual email address: [email protected], and we’ll try to respond to any questions you have that way.
In the meantime, and certainly in September and beyond, I hope you’ll get a chance to congratulate our new owners. And I want to thank a few people in particular for these first five years of Madison Books: James, of course, and Susan and Furman Moseley, the book-loving neighborhood visionaries who worked so hard to get a bookstore back in Madison Park and who generously eased our first few years in business. And our current and former staff, especially the folks who have made this last year of transition much smoother sailing than it could have been. And most of all, the readers and neighbors and customers who make Madison Books possible, and who make it such a pleasure. Talking books (and families and Seattle and everything else we talk about) with you is I’m sure the main reason Sarah and Christina fell in love with this place, and it’s why I love what I do too. I’ll still be doing it up on Phinney Ridge, and I hope you’ll get a chance to stop by there and say hi too.
Thanks—Tom, Sarah, Christina, Jeff, Kate, Meghan, and Avery
