Grit City Books

Grit City Books is a queer owned shop on Sixth Avenue that sells new books with a lean toward independent presses, queer voices and local authors. Jeff Hanway, his husband Kegan Hanway and Kaitlin Chandler, all University of Puget Sound alumni, started it as an online store in 2023 and opened the doors at 3116 Sixth Avenue in May 2024.

Three big bays up front hold bestsellers, staff picks and a Queer All Year section, and staff recommendation cards run through the rest of the room. Handmade shelves tilt the spines toward you. Kids get a nook for reading picture books with a parent, and a monthly drag story time with Cleo Nova draws families. The book clubs include Textual Tension for feminist romance and Surviving Dystopia, mostly nonfiction, and author visits run as fireside chats rather than readings.