Indie Makes Its Mark in Anacortes, Washington

February 06, 2008

The island city of Anacortes, Washington, is a lovely spot -- mountain peaks are visible across the water, and commuters travel by ferry just as often as they travel by bus or car.

It's not surprising, then, that the area is popular not only with vacationers, but retirees as well. Barbara Hoenselaar of Watermark Book Company says, "In downtown Anacortes, our community is mostly older and retired people. It's a really interesting group of people -- many have had their careers, and are very well-rounded in their interests."

She adds that this demographic trend has likely affected the store's mix of titles: "It's probably one of the reasons we have a good travel section -- hobbies and health, too."

Owner Patti Pattee and her late husband, co-owner Norman Sturdevant, founded the general bookstore in 1989. The 2,000-square-foot shop resides in a brick building that used to serve as the Anacortes union hall. A recent expansion opened up a spot in the back of the store: What was the kitchen (and the store's office) is now a cooking-themed selling space with bright red walls visible from the front of the store.

The original cabinets remain -- some feature cookbooks or other treasures for sale, and others contain the staff's personal items. "Everyone has a lock," Hoenselaar explains with a laugh. A table and chairs provides space for book club meetings or impromptu recipe searches.

Hoenselaar has worked at the store for five years, and is one of a staff of five, all of whom have input regarding the store's mix of titles. "We have one buyer, Patti, and we all help select the books. We have a chance to look at the catalogs, and the wonderful books that come in the big Book Sense White Boxes. We all participate, from choosing books to putting them on the shelves."

Book Sense Picks get prime placement at Watermark, Hoenselaar said. "We always have the books featured every month on a special table in the front of the store, and stuff the flyers in customers' bags. Three or four of our employees have had reviews published, too!"

A quarterly in-store newsletter is distributed to customers, many of who stop in three or four times a week. Hoenselaar added, "They come in just to talk, and to see what's new. We know certain people like certain things, so we'll give them a call, and we often buy books with customers in mind."

Poetry enthusiasts in Anacortes know they have a home at Watermark, too. "Poetry Month is big here -- we discount all the poetry in the store for the whole month of April, and we add a new poem to the front window every day until we can't see through it," she said. The store also participates in the nearby Skagit River Poetry Festival, which hosts the likes of Billy Collins and hold readings and events at venues all around the area.

When it comes to partnering with other local businesses and organizations, Hoenselaar notes that the bookstore has participated in a book-club tea at the local library, and holds a lot of readings there as well. "It's great to work with them, and they will help you with the advertising ... it really helps their image in the community, too."

There aren't any big-box stores nearby, and the town "has been working pretty hard to keep its flavor of small independent businesses," Hoenselaar said, noting that a Winter Institute session on the topic provided additional inspiration. "It was neat just to get energized about how independents need to stay alive, and how to do it." She said the store plans to join with other local businesses in the near future: "Right now, we share word of mouth -- go here, go there -- but I think we'll try to get a more formal coalition going."

Also inspiring were Winter Institute talks about sustainable, or "green," business practices, Hoenselaar said. "Another focus we heard a lot about that we do have started in our community is the idea of locally grown food and saving your resources, how we're all under the global warming umbrella ... the sustainability idea."

The concept made quite an impact on the Watermark staff, Hoenselaar said. "We came back [from the Winter Institute] and immediately made a section: We took books out of science, nature, wherever they usually are, and put them into a global warming/green section. We actually did something besides take a day off and read a new galley!" --Linda M. Castellitto

Topics: About Bookstores,