DECEMBER 2024 NEWSLETTER

Celebrating 50 Years of Bookselling in Port Townsend! □

December marks the 50th anniversary of Imprint as an independent bookseller here in Port Townsend, and we couldn’t let this momentous occasion pass without properly acknowledging the many individuals who have been instrumental in both the founding and the ongoing success of this cherished bookshop. Our knowledge of Imprint’s history is still coming together, so if you have any stories, details, or corrections to share, we look forward to hearing from you in the months and years to come!

Imprint Bookstore was founded on December 8, 1974, by Lyndy Caine in the N.D. Hill Building (635 Water St), next door to what was then the Town Tavern (now the home of Conservatory).

Lyndy had come to Port Townsend in 1973 to intern with Centrum during its inaugural year, and it was during this time that she was inspired to open a bookstore. Her writer friends had faced barriers to entering the local literary scene, as the town's only bookstore refused to stock their works, dismissing them because of their “raunchy...hippie looks.” Undeterred, Lyndy, with the help of friends Sam Hammer and Bill Ransom, decided to open her own bookstore. She would drive to the Seattle area, along with Sam and his partner Tree, to load up her car with books from the only wholesale distributors available to her at the time. The space itself had no heat, so Lyndy installed a potbelly stove and had a cord of wood delivered to keep the bookstore warm. If you've been in the store recently you might notice a candle burning in honor of that original home fire.

Imprint founder, Lyndy Caine, and her friend Alicia White visiting with the bookshop's newest proprietor, John Blomgren, 50 years to the exact date of its founding, Dec. 8, 1974.

Some of the book displays she contracted to be built by local woodworkers are still in use within the shop today. The bookstore later moved to its second location during Lyndy’s tenure, into what is now The Belmont Hotel, just a few blocks down at 925 Water St. The new space was much bigger allowing for growth of the store's inventory and there was a cafe behind the bookstore on the mezzanine level with windows looking out onto the bay.

In 1983, Lyndy sold Imprint to David and Judy Hartman. Having worked for many years in the bookselling industry at the UW's University Bookstore and Elliott Bay Book Co., David brought his vast experience to Port Townsend where he and Judy operated the store for over 30 years in its present location at 820 Water St.

The Hartman's moved Imprint into the historic John Siebenbaum Building, pictured here circa 2011.

When I recently had the opportunity to ask Judy what sustained them in keeping Imprint going for so many years, she said it was 'the community that showing up to support them' that contributed to their proprietorship's impressive longevity.

In 2014, the Hartmans were looking to retire and local writers Anna and Peter Quinn acquired Imprint merging it with their own well-known literary institution, The Writer's Workshoppe which they had founded in 2008.

The Quinns proved instrumental in making the bookstore a community gathering space, hosting writing classes, author talks, book signings, and public events, adding to its prominence within Port Townsend’s vibrant literary arts scene.

When asked what inspired them most during their time running Imprint, the Quinns said, “Every day at the bookstore was like coming into a sanctuary, for us and for our customers. The relationships were everything—people, stories, and the mutual love of books nurtured us every day.” While their tenure may have only lasted 5 years, the impact the Quinn’s had on Imprint’s legacy is indelible given how much the community still associates the shop with them and the high regard in which everyone speaks of that seminal chapter.

In 2019, Sam Ladwig was working at Imprint as a bookseller when the Quinns decided it was time to pass the torch to its next generation of stewards. Sam, and her then-partner (now husband) Thom Nienow, bravely took up the reins on October 1, 2019. They made several changes immediately to help clarify that Imprint was, first and foremost, a book lover's bookstore, rearranging the layout for better browsing and expanding the shop's inventory significantly. Here they are pictured on their wedding day.

However, their honeymoon period as new bookstore owners was short-lived, as the COVID-19 pandemic hit only months after they took over. Many of the plans they had for the store were inevitably eclipsed by the challenge of simply keeping it open during such unprecedented times but, from what we’ve learned, Sam and Thom devised inventive ways to still deliver books to the community while everyone was stuck stir-crazy at home. Though they hadn’t initially set out to become booksellers, their love and appreciation for good literature became their driving force during those challenging first months/years. When they made the decision to purchase the store, they agreed to give it five years before reassessing its fitness within their lives. Ultimately, by 2024 they felt they had fulfilled their mission—shepherding Port Townsend’s beloved bookshop through the pandemic and setting it up for success for its next set of stewards.

And that’s where we enter into this story. Having visited Imprint during our first scouting trips when we were considering moving to Port Townsend, Garrett and I immediately felt that this particular bookshop was something quite special. It’s a personal mission of ours to visit indie bookstores wherever we go, both being book lovers and knowing how vital it is to support their continued existence, despite there always being a better deal online.

I immediately appreciated Sam’s thoughtful curation of Imprint’s inventory, both in terms of its eclectic titles and the specific editions she personally chose. Little did I know then how much transformative this little bookshop would become, allowing me to evolve from a mere book lover to a bookseller, by vocation. Once we fully settled in Port Townsend in the spring of 2023, I felt my connection to the store deepen upon each visit—and to Sam herself. Her recommendations were always on point, and we even entertained the idea of me coming on as a bookseller while I was exploring my options professionally.

So, when Imprint went on the market in July 2024, we couldn’t help but wonder if this was the opportunity we had been seeking and whether our previous experience as small business owners might translate from hospitality to bookselling. We hope you’ve felt the care and comfort we’ve worked hard to infuse into the shop over the past month as we've been learning the ropes of this new industry. Garrett and I are committed to bringing the same level of attention to detail and inclusive hospitality that we did in our food business to all of our endeavors.

Sam and Thom remain good friends of the shop (and now of ours), and we couldn’t have done this without their encouragement and support over the past few months. We are honored to have received this torch they have passed on to us, and we wish them both much success and peace of mind as they look toward their own future.

Over the course of my first six weeks working in the shop as its new proprietor/bookseller, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know many community members who each have a meaningful connection to a different chapter of Imprint’s long history. The sentiment I hear from folks is that this little bookshop is incredibly important to them, and the word "sanctuary" has come up countless times in their own storytelling. When the store was up for sale, many were concerned that it might cease to be a bookstore due to the challenges the industry faces—especially with increased competition from giants like Amazon and the digitization of our lives. But everyone I’ve spoken with has agreed that every charming small town deserves at least one charming little bookshop. Fortunately, Port Townsend has three!

There’s no replacement for the feeling you get when you walk into a well-curated bookshop, or for the sensation of holding an actual physical book with its earthy, evocative bibliosmia* in your hands. No matter what the future holds, we will do everything in our power, with the community’s support, to ensure that Imprint Bookshop not only continues its longstanding legacy for many decades to come, but will always remain about the books.

The serendipity and generosity of spirit we have experienced since we took the keys has been nothing short of amazing as countless stakeholders in Imprint’s storied legacy have come out to welcome us in our first season as its new proprietors. There’s something so auspicious about how everything has come together, and the stars in the blue skies above us feel so perfectly aligned.

In a time when communities coming together and sharing knowledge is more important than ever, Garrett and I have said countless times how purposeful and well-placed we feel in our lives at this moment. To be able to step into a business like Imprint—one that is clearly beloved and means so much to this beautiful little town on the Salish Sea—is a dream we never even dreamed possible.

In little more than a month, we have to come to recognize that bookselling is both an art and a vocation — a higher calling we fully intend to make the most of — for the benefit of everyone either living or just visiting our most endearing seaside town.

When I asked the Quinns if they had any words of wisdom for Imprint’s next chapter, they said, “Raise your glasses often to the moments that go well—there will be more than you can count! And thank you, thank you, thank you, for continuing to hold this magic little place in our town. May it continue on for another fifty years!”

If we have the opportunity to see this ‘little-bookshop-that-could’ make it for even another 25 years, I’d call that a life chapter well-written and well-lived. Thank you for reading these words, and for being lovers of the written word right along with us.

Cheers to the first 50 years of Imprint and all the years to follow!

With much love and boundless hope for our shared future,
John and Garrett

Let's define that...

*Bibliosmia: The word for the smell of books is bibliosmia, which can also refer to the act of smelling books. The smell comes from the chemical breakdown of compounds in the paper, ink, and adhesives of the book. The smell of new and old books is different because of the varying chemical compounds. The smell of old books is often described as a combination of mustiness, vanilla, and grassy notes, with a hint of acids. Some say that the smell of old books is like chocolate, coffee, wood, or burnt. The term "biblichor" is sometimes used to describe the smell of old books by bibliophiles. It comes from the Greek words Biblos, meaning "book", and Ichor, meaning "the fluid that flows in the veins of Gods".

What is life without poetry??

The Word by Pablo Neruda

The word

was born in the blood,

grew in the dark body, beating,

and took flight through the lips and the mouth.

Farther away and nearer

still, still it came

from dead fathers and from wandering races,

from lands which had turned to stone,

lands weary of their poor tribes,

for when grief took to the roads

the people set out and arrived

and married new land and water

to grow their words again.

And so this is the inheritance;

this is the wavelength which connects us

with dead men and the dawning

of new beings not yet come to light.

Still the atmosphere quivers

with the first word uttered

dressed up

in terror and sighing.

It emerged

from the darkness

and until now there is no thunder

that ever rumbles with the iron voice

of that word,

the first

word uttered--

perhaps it was only a ripple, a single drop,

and yet its great cataract falls and falls.

Later on, the word fills with meaning.

Always with child, it filled up with lives.

Everything was births and sounds--

affirmation, clarity, strength,

negation, destruction, death--

the verb wook over all the power

and blended existence with essence

in the electricity of its grace.

Human word, syllable, flank

of extending light and solid silverwork,

hereditary goblet which receives

the communications of the blood--

here is where silence came together with

the wholeness of the human word,

and, for human beings, not to speak is to die--

language extends even to the hair,

the mouth speaks without the lips moving,

all of a sudden, the eyes are words.

I take the word and pass it through my senses

as though it were no more than a human shape;

its arrangements awe me and I find my way

through each resonance of the spoken word--

I utter and I am and, speechless, I approach

across the edge of words silence itself.

I drink to the word, raising

A word or a shining cup;

in it I drink

the pure wine of language

or inexhaustible water,

maternal source of words,

and cup and water and wine

give rise to my song

because the verb is the source

and vivid life—it is blood,

blood which expresses its substance

and so ordains its own unwinding.

Words give glass quality to glass, blood to blood,

and life to life itself.

—Pablo Neruda (translated by Alastair Reid)

Meet Imprint's newest bookseller! Sam Heron

Hi everyone! I am extremely honored to be a part of Imprint’s next chapter. My name is Sam, and I have been a customer at Imprint Bookshop since I was a young child. My family and I used to come up to Port Townsend to visit family before we eventually moved here in 2012. Growing up, I always had a love for reading, writing, and learning. You would often find me curled up on the couch with a laptop, creating new realities and exchanging stories with friends. Eventually, I attended local author Patrick Jennings’s young writers’ group, Pato’s Cave, and was introduced to Anna and Peter Quinn, who owned the shop in the past.

Back then, I interned for them, further submersing myself into the world of literature. So, it only feels right that upon my return to Port Townsend after graduating college, I adjust to a post-academic life in an environment that brought me so much joy as a child. I look forward to seeing new and familiar faces as you come to pick up your next read! -- Sam Heron

Service Announcements...

Just a friendly reminder to get those
holiday orders in by
12pm on Monday, December 16th
for the best chance of them arriving
before Christmas and Hanukkah!

HOLIDAY HOURS

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

Copyright © 2024 Imprint Bookshop, All rights reserved.
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820 Water Street

Port Townsend, WA 98368

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We need to make (at least) one correction to
our 50 Year Anniversary Newsletter...
Hey y'all,

Deepest apologies but it seems that I overlooked an autocorrect error and mistakenly referred to Sam Hamill as Sam Hammer...wish I would have caught that sooner but now it gives me the opportunity to shine some light on a local Port Townsend legend who had his own hand in Imprint's founding way back when.

Best wishes,
John

NOVEMBER 2024 NEWSLETTER

Entering a New Chapter at Imprint Bookshop! □

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