As featured in Port Townsend's The Leader - Holiday Guide 2024

NOVEMBER 2024 NEWSLETTER

Holiday Hours and Special Order Details Included!

Entering a new chapter at Imprint Bookshop! Greetings, New Friends! If you've visited Imprint recently or follow us on social media, you may already know that the ownership of the store changed on November 1st. However, we want to take this opportunity to formally introduce ourselves in writing. My name is John Blomgren, and I am one of the two new proprietors of this beloved Port Townsend institution — your resident indie bookseller! My partner (in both life and business), Garrett Jones, and I moved to the area in the spring of 2023 and have been enjoying putting down roots while searching for the perfect way to plug into the local community professionally. I actually grew up in the area back in the 80s/90s and love how charming this town has remained over the years. And while bookselling is an entirely new undertaking for us, we are no strangers to running a small brick-and-mortar business having founded and operated a cherished vegan gluten-free bakery cafe in Portland, OR for 13 years. However, as avid readers and book collectors, learning that our local bookstore was for sale felt like a literal dream come true so we took a leap of faith in ourselves and are now thrilled with how this present chapter of our life continues to unfold.  Many people have asked if we plan to make any changes. While the answer is "yes, in time", we want to affirm a few things right out of the gate: 1. The Name: Colloquially known as The Imprint, the store will keep the same name, with a slight adjustment. We’ll now be known as Imprint Bookshop to better reflect the small, independent nature of our quaint little establishment. On December 8th, Imprint will celebrate 50 years of bookselling in Port Townsend under the name, having been established by founder Lyndy Caine in 1974.  2. The Books: Imprint was first founded out of a love and appreciation for literature, and bookselling will always be our core focus. For the time being, The Writers’ Workshoppe will be put on hiatus while we give our attention solely towards making the bookshop the best it can be. We’ll use all available retail space to expand inventory, build out the genres, and give the books more room to breathe and be seen. 3. The Aesthetics: Already quite charming, we have lots of ideas to brighten up the space and improve its flow for your browsing pleasure. While we’ll lean into the historic quality of the town and the building itself, these changes will take time. We may even explore some creative fundraising with the support of our wonderful community. We’ll continue to make improvements with minimal disruption to you and when the major facelift happens sometime in 2025, we’ll give plenty of notice and offer other ways to fulfill special orders while work is taking place. 4. The Events: Imprint has long been a community gathering place for author talks and book signings, and we’ll absolutely keep that tradition alive. For now, we’ll focus on settling in and establishing ourselves within the industry. After our first successful holiday season under our belts, we’ll begin building our event calendar for 2025 and beyond. That being said, we already have a few things in the works, including an Inauguration Day gathering for solace and solidarity as we prepare for another four years of community building, resistance, and resilience. We’re also already working with some author talks in support of their new releases. Stay tuned for more details, and feel free to email us with your event ideas! 5. The Experience: Over the past few weeks, we’ve been overwhelmed by the warm welcome and openness you’ve shown us. Thank you for embracing change and letting us know that you’re along for the ride. In return, we’ll do everything in our power to make you feel welcome and appreciated. Supporting small independent businesses, especially booksellers, is crucial for the vitality of our communities — and our democracy — so your patronage means everything to us. One of our most important values is inclusivity. We want you, your family, and your friends to feel seen, well represented, and respected, both in the titles we curate and in the way you’re treated in our shop. This is our commitment to you, every single time. Lastly, let’s turn our focus towards a little holiday housekeeping!  Holiday Special Orders: We understand that Thanksgiving being late this year might mean you’re just starting to think about holiday shopping. Please do us — and yourselves — a favor by getting your book orders in as soon as possible. Our distributors have already warned of potential delays in shipping. To guarantee holiday delivery, orders should be placed by December 13th at the latest. For context, we’ve learned that nearly 25% of all book sales happen during the holiday season. Your support means everything to us, and the more books we sell in the next 4-6 weeks, the better we can serve you in the year ahead and fund the exciting renovations we’ve mentioned. Holiday Hours: Our regular hours will continue through Thanksgiving: Monday to Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm, and closed on Sundays. However, we’ll open on Sundays from Thanksgiving through the end of the year to help you check off your holiday shopping list. Here’s a snapshot of our holiday schedule: Wed.11/27: Open 10 am - 2 pm Thu.11/28 (Thanksgiving): CLOSED Fri.11/29 - Mon., 12/23: Open 7 days a week, 10 am - 5 pm Tue.12/24 (Xmas Eve): Open 10 am - 2 pm Wed.12/25 (Xmas Day) & Thu.12/26: CLOSED Fri.12/27 - Mon.12/30: Open 10 am - 5 pm Tue. 12/31 (NYE): Open 10 am - 2 pm Wed. 1/1 (New Year’s Day): CLOSED We couldn’t do this without you, and we look forward to learning from your diverse experiences as we move forward together and buoy each other amidst these turbulent times. With our shared love for good literature at the heart of this relationship we are forging, we’re confident that we’ll make magic happen. Warm regards, John & Garrett Copyright © 2024 Imprint Bookshop, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have either signed up to be on our email list, made a purchase from our online store, joined our facebook fan page or taken a workskhop offered through The Writers' Workshoppe. Our mailing address is: Imprint Bookshop 820 Water Street Port Townsend, WA 98368 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.