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| Ridgecrest Books has a huge selection for a small store |
By Diane Hettrick
Photos by Steven H. Robinson
The small business district in the Ridgecrest neighborhood at 5th NE and NE 165th is the closest Shoreline has to an old-fashioned downtown. Ridgecrest boasts a "coffee shop you can walk to" with a generous seating area. It has the only movie theatre in Shoreline. A friendly pub and restaurant are side by side.
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| They have new and used books, classics and recent books |
And now it has a small and neighborhood friendly bookstore, of the kind put out of business by the big box stores of a decade ago, which were in turn put out of business by Amazon.
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| Becky is happy to assist customers find the perfect book |
Ridgecrest Books is owned by Becky Merilatt and Kevin Roberts. Becky and Kevin were long-time employees of the Secret Garden Bookstore, which closed its Greenlake location and later reopened in Ballard.
Becky attempted to purchase Secret Garden and when that was unsuccessful, she and Kevin decided to open their own store in Ridgecrest where Becky lives.
There is an inviting nook of children’s books with table and chairs. They have added a shelf of puzzles, which are so popular that Becky expects to expand the section. A new section of Manga books makes the kids happy. You can even buy a t-shirt with the store logo.
They are delighted with the warm welcome and community support they have received.
Reporter Steve Robinson said "While there I witnessed the customer service and assistance to shoppers looking for a book to read for them or their children."
Reporter Steve Robinson said "While there I witnessed the customer service and assistance to shoppers looking for a book to read for them or their children."
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| Children's book nook with table and chairs |
There is an inviting nook of children’s books with table and chairs. They have added a shelf of puzzles, which are so popular that Becky expects to expand the section. A new section of Manga books makes the kids happy. You can even buy a t-shirt with the store logo.
Polite dogs are welcome to browse before or after getting a treat at The Barkery.
Ridgecrest Books is open at 512 NE 165th St, Shoreline, WA 98155. Open 11am to 7pm Tuesday-Sunday and closed on Monday. Phone 206-644-7105.
Updated: Open Sunday, closed Monday.
Hello! Thanks for bringing my attention to this new bookstore; I'm excited to check them out. I looked on their Instagram page and it says there that they're open Tuesdays-Sundays, and Yelp says the same thing. I've reached out to them on their website to confirm whether this is still accurate, but I thought I'd bring it to your attention regardless. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHello, same commenter from earlier regarding open hours. Ridgecrest Books responded to my email saying they're open Tuesdays-Sundays, closed Mondays. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very brave move! Good luck to them, I hope they thrive!
ReplyDelete