Village Books and Paper Dreams

Village Books has anchored Fairhaven's historic district since 1980, when Chuck and Dee Robinson opened it on 11th Street. Two years later they added Paper Dreams, the card, gift and stationery side of the shop, and in 2004 the store grew into the three story building it fills today. In 2017 the Robinsons handed it to three longtime employees, Kelly Evert, Paul Hanson and Sarah Hutton.

Plan on more time than you think. New and used books share the shelves, the Pacific Northwest and local author sections run deep, and the kids section is a destination of its own. The store also publishes the Chuckanut Reader, a quarterly magazine about local history and the people who write about it.

Author readings and signings are part of the rhythm here, so check the events calendar before you go. When you need a break, climb to the mezzanine, where Next Chapter Cafe pairs baked goods from It's the Sweet Things with Filipino dishes from Bry's. Then step back out into Fairhaven, one of the best neighborhoods in Washington for a slow afternoon on foot.