Village Books
Bookstore Bellingham, WA
Chuck and Dee Robinson opened Village Books in Fairhaven in June 1980 and added Paper Dreams, the card and gift side, about two years later. The three story building facing the Village Green is their doing too, built new and opened in 2004. In 2017 they sold the whole thing to three longtime employees, Kelly Evert, Paul Hanson and Sarah Hutton.
What sets the place apart is how much of it is not selling books. The Readings Gallery is a room built for author events. The Chuckanut Radio Hour, a live variety show with radio plays, music and interviews, began in 2007 and has hosted Erik Larson, Tom Robbins and Garrison Keillor. The store runs writing workshops with Whatcom Community College and helps run Whatcom READS with the county libraries.
Upstairs the mezzanine cafe is now Next Chapter Cafe, a merger of a local bakery and a Filipino kitchen, serving espresso, ube lattes and pastries.
Data last verified: July 15, 2026
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