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Bailey Coy Books to close shop at end of month – UPDATE: Interview with owner

UPDATE 12:10 PM:
I spoke with Bailey Coy owner Michael Wells this morning shortly after the shop opened for the first day of business since his big (and sad) announcement.

Wells said his decision to close for good after years of financial struggle came down to the fundamental question: What does an independent bookstore need to be in this era to survive?

Wells said he’s been thinking of how to change for a long time. “I’ve considered so many permutations. Downsizing. Changing my stock. Events. The realities of book selling at this moment are such that I’m not even sure a change of retail model would even work,” Wells said.

“I think a new bookstore has to look differently than in the past. I don’t know that I can do that. I don’t really understand what is needed. I don’t know what e-books will do, how discounts will work, what it will take to do better.”

So Wells said he has decided to do the prudent thing. Quit.


“Even if there was a huge groundswell of support from the community, the business model itself is so precarious,” Wells said. “I wanted to end this with grace.”

Not that the community hasn’t tried to keep the story going. Wells confirmed that a prominent Capitol Hill business owner who is a longtime customer had been working with him to find a solution to keep Bailey Coy in business.

“A loan doesn’t really help any more. The credit debt is too scary. We’ve gone through a couple of attempts to find financing and we end up in the same place. No,” Wells said. “One of the pieces of this story is how hard it is for small businesses to get credit. At some point I stopped and said, ‘I wouldn’t even give us credit!'”

Wells said the financial condition of his shop wasn’t dire — in fact, he said he has never taken out a bank loan to keep the store afloat — but that it had become clear that the struggle to survive was no longer worth the effort.

“This isn’t the bookstore I want to be running. I only want to run a good bookstore. I cannot finance — and the Cap Hill community — cannot finance this store,” Wells said.

Now, Wells said the best way for you to help him close Bailey Coy with ‘grace’ is to support the store as it sells off its remaining stock over the next four weeks. The prices will keep dropping, of course, but buying a book today will help Wells pay off remaining bills. He also said there will be a new ‘Bailey Coy rummage’ section of the store to sell off some of the memorabilia and etc. that has collected in the store over the years including a framed package wrapper from Feminist Press addressed to founder Barbara Bailey and some of the shop’s classic window displays.

The best memorabilia will be part of an auction at a party Wells is planning to celebrate the store’s history. Wells calls the party Bailey Coy’s wake. “Barbara will be there,” Wells said. “We’ll auction off great memorabilia like a pair of underwear signed by David Sedaris.”

The happy part of the whole thing, Wells said, is hearing from people about their love for the store. “I’m hearing so many stories. Stories about people coming here as a kid. We’re connected to a variety of communities. A lot of people have different experiences. That’s been great.”

As for what comes next for Wells, he says he hasn’t had time to think about it despite friends telling him for years that he should think about life after Bailey Coy.

“It’s been a great 30 years,” Wells said. “For 25 of those years, it was a profitable business. And then I bought it,” he deadpans. Now that the struggle has ended, Wells can laugh.

UPDATE 9:25 AM:
Owner Michael Wells says thanks (and more!) in the comments below:

Thank You
Thanks to all of you for your kind words. We will remain open the rest of this month and book cards and gift certificates are still redeemable.
We’re obviously very sad about this. We’ve been proud to be a part of your lives. 
I came to Bailey/Coy in 1989, so, while it’s possible that I may be stuck in the 80’s, it’s far more likely that I’m stuck in the 90’s. The 1890’s, perhaps…

 

Original Post:
Michael Wells, owner of indie Capitol Hill bookstore Bailey Coy Books and a prominent member of the Hill business community, tonight announced that he is closing doors on the shop at the end of November. Publicola was the first to report on the closure in a report written by a Bailey Coy employee. The reporter included this press release from Wells about his decision:

 

Bailey/Coy Books, after serving the Capitol Hill community, the greater Seattle area and generations of book lovers everywhere for 26 years, will be closing its doors at the end of November.


This has not been an easy decision for us. We have struggled, along with independent bookstores across the country, for the last decade to keep our bookstore profitable and healthy. The economic downturn of the past year, combined with the rapidly changing world of bookselling, has led us to believe that this is the most responsible decision.

    Starting this week, we will begin a closing sale with everything in the store marked down 20 percent. Gift certificates and redeemable book cards will be accepted until the final closing date, at the end of November.

    The recent news that Elliott Bay Book Company is considering moving to Capitol Hill has no bearing on this decision. We wish Elliot Bay Book Company and all Seattle independent bookstores the best of luck in this challenging time.

    Bailey/Coy Books began as B. Bailey Books, founded by Barbara Bailey, in the Rainier Square building in 1977. In 1982 she opened a second store on Broadway and in 1983 that store became Bailey/Coy Books. That year she sold the downtown store and Broadway became the store’s home. In 2003 Barbara retired from the bookselling business and sold the store to Michael Wells, the manager of the store since 1989.

    Barbara created a bookstore that was not only a model of the best in bookstores but was also specifically designed to welcome a lesbian and gay clientele. The American bookselling landscape at that time included general independents and lesbian and gay stores but rarely did those two models mix. Barbara wanted to create a store where the best in general literature existed side by side with the best in lesbian and gay books. Today that seems like a fairly pedestrian idea, but in 1982 it was nothing short of revolutionary. We remain proud of our long history with the Seattle lesbian and gay community and the rich and varied culture that that community has supported over the years.

    We have been active participants in the Broadway Business Improvement Area, the Mayor’s Task Force on Broadway and the newly formed Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce. We have been deeply involved in the Capitol Hill community for over 20 years. It is our belief that this bookstore could not have flourished the way it once did in any other Seattle neighborhood. Capitol Hill’s history of diversity, eccentricity and a commitment to the arts are a part of our history that we cherish. Capitol Hill rules.

    We would like to thank the customers and friends who have come through our doors in the last two decades. Our bookstore is a community that includes all of you. We urge you to continue to support independent business and especially independent bookstores. It makes a world of difference.

    Again, thank you to all of our customers, to the hundreds of authors who have read in our store, to all of the Pacific Northwest bookselling community and book lovers everywhere. We are honored to have been part of your lives.

    And a special thank you to the marvelous people who have staffed Bailey/Coy Books over the years. We have been lucky enough to work with the best and brightest in the Seattle community. We cannot begin to tell you how those people have enriched our lives and the life of this store.

Bailey Coy’s recent struggles were not a secret. As the rumors of Elliott Bay Book Co. eyeing a new home on Capitol Hill churned, there was talk of a group of local business owners gathering together to help support Wells through the holiday season as the small retailer faced financial challenges that would prevent it from ordering the stock it needed for November and December.

Wells was recently named a ‘Spirit of the Hill’ award winner by the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce for his work to keep a progressive small business alive on Capitol Hill. He had previously served as the Chamber’s board president and was part of the discussions with Sound Transit about the agency’s plans to provide mitigation for the Hill’s businesses during the eight-year light rail station construction. Sound Transit recently announced a new marketing initiative and Web site yourcapitolhill.com (not yet live) as part of that initiative. Wells was also involved in shaping the city’s Broadway revitalization project which started in 2006 and helped drive a clean-up of the street and improvements in business conditions on the Hill including the reformation of the Chamber of Commerce.

Meanwhile, new piroshky place Zhivago’s Cafe is scheduled to open next door to Bailey Coy this week.

Our initial Link Report from Publicola can be found here

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46 Comments
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linder seattle
linder seattle
14 years ago

I love Bailey/Coy. Such a wonderful bookstore. I’m so sorry that they are closing.

gerwitz
gerwitz
14 years ago

This is the worst neighborhood news since we lost Piroshky on Broadway. If only more of us had been buying a weekly book there. :-(

Jackie
Jackie
14 years ago

This is so sad. I really loved this store.

pffft
pffft
14 years ago

love that place. i buy from them regularly.

Mike with curls
Mike with curls
14 years ago

The trend for several years is for people who will buy to browse the bookstore, and, then go online and buy from the cheapest supplier …

Too bad.

Great community resource.

Swift Albero
Swift Albero
14 years ago

Everything good about The Hill is slowly being taken away.

JackNH
JackNH
14 years ago

I live half the year in Seattle and half in NYC, and have done so for almost 30 years. I’ve seen both Capital Hill and Manhattan turn into expensive places to eat and drink, and not do much else. Independent bookstores are virtually gone in New York, I thought Seattle might buck the trend. Guess not. How many piroshkies and martini’s can you folks down? For chrissake’s, you should have bought a damned book once in a while. Sad to say, Bailey Coy was deteriorating for years. Now there’s nothing, ‘cept Twice Told Tales, god bless her. Lose that, and I might as well live in Bellevue. The drinks are cheaper.

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14 years ago

Any many new “good” things are added as Capitol Hill evolves as a neighborhood.

booklover
booklover
14 years ago

It’s such a sad day to lose character from a neighborhood. Please support your local stores. I do NOT want to live in a Wal-Mart world.

yancy
yancy
14 years ago

I will really miss this place!
And I can’t imagine anything taking its place that would be as cool…

Is it just me, though, or is the Publicola story a little weird? Their finances are better this year than last year, so they’re closing? What?

I don’t want to say that small businesses should be willing to lose money in the short term in order to promote healthy neighborhoods, but I guess I kind of think that small businesses should be willing to lose money in the short term in order to promote healthy neighborhoods.

But that’s really a side issue, as is how many lines I’ve filled on my Bailey/Coy card.
At this point I’m just sorry to see them go. We’ll miss you!

whippet owner
whippet owner
14 years ago

Very sad to see this neighbor go. Great store, nice people and dog friendly. Perfect combination, so when the economics force a closure, it’s a sad departure.

Punkateer
Punkateer
14 years ago

So your playing the erudite half-timer that doesn’t know how to spell the area of town that is the topic at hand. Interesting play.

Perhaps the best book store in Seattle per its size, this is a great loss for the community.

krt
krt
14 years ago

I know Bailey-Coy very well, and the management was stuck in doing things as they were done in the ’80s. While the economy is BAD and it is tough for independent bookstores, it’s also too easy to use that as an cop-out excuse for an total unwillingness to listen, change and adapt.

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14 years ago

While I am sad to see this business go, it isn’t the end of the world. The are many new businesses starting and Capitol Hill is evolving for the better…

Cheryl F
Cheryl F
14 years ago

This is like suddenly hearing that an old friend has died. I spent so many hours, bought so many books, inhaled the fragrance of the bookstore and felt peaceful.

Thank you for being there, I am so sorry to see you go.

Michael Wells
Michael Wells
14 years ago

Thanks to all of you for your kind words. We will remain open the rest of this month and book cards and gift certificates are still redeemable.

We’re obviously very sad about this. We’ve been proud to be a part of your lives.

I came to Bailey/Coy in 1989, so, while it’s possible that I may be stuck in the 80’s, it’s far more likely that I’m stuck in the 90’s. The 1890’s, perhaps…

Mike with curls
Mike with curls
14 years ago

For the better?

A super quality book vendor, great titles, modern store, class widow displays, discussion center, donor to local events and causes, that cultural icon is going to close and something in the future is for the neighborhood “better”?

Love to hear your standard for bad news for a thriving community shopping/buying sector.

seadog
seadog
14 years ago

Curious phrase, especially since the Baileys came to Seattle in the 1890s and became timber barons, along with the Stimsons, Bullitts, and Dempseys – although not as well known as the Reed family & Weyerhauser. How many people knew about the source of the deep pockets of Barbara & Thatcher Bailey?

The 1890s were also a time in which many of the old Seattle elite made their fortune and developed the power structure still controlling Seattle today, even Bill Gates. Many people believe the source of the Gates fortune was generated by his father when in fact it came from his mother’s family, once again from the 1890s and the Alaska gold rush.

Yes, stuck in the 1890s…

Nevertheless, good luck to you.

final answer
final answer
14 years ago

This is really sad news. I bought the vast majority of my books and and cards at Bailey Coy since moving to the Hill. Heck, I even assuaged my guilt about reading the Twilight series by buying the books there. We will miss you!!! :(

Michael Strangeways
Michael Strangeways
14 years ago

it’s not a great feeling.

Bailey/Coy: soon to be replaced by a $10 a drink martini bar patronized by yuppies and East Siders OR perhaps a deluxe tanning salon/copy place/Quiznos.

Mike with curls
Mike with curls
14 years ago

Well, how interesting.

But, let us differentiate old Gates money and new Gates money.

Bill of this era did good and it wern’t timber nor gold rush, exactly.

Always have loved both Barbara and Thacher. Old Seattle name and money combined with out and proud activism and community building. GREAT Seattle combo.

Best to Bailey-Coy and to Michael Wells in this last month. Going to do some early Christmas shopping, Michel needs to sell to the bare walls to have some cash. And good discounts are a real incentive…

There is a song, “let’s go shopping” …. I am in.

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14 years ago

I assume you mean the area is thriving and not this particular bookstore since it is closing. Things that thrive generally don’t close. And for all of the great things you point out, that clearly didn’t keep it in business.

Again, this is hardly the end of the world. Even during an economic downtown there have been many businesses opening on Capitol Hill. None of which seem to look anything like Walmart. Many more businesses are on their way as well.

So, for the “this is the end of Capitol Hill as we know it types”, Capitol Hill is evolving and I think for the better.

EricB
EricB
14 years ago

Bailey Coy offered a viewpoint and accompanying set of book titles that seemed frozen in a different era. I realized this when the staff phoned me to say that they were not able to fulfill my order for a book by a contemporary British cultural commentator with a decidely non-leftist perspective.

Karin
Karin
14 years ago

I have been going to your store and to its predecessor, whose original owners even preceded Barbara Bailey, since about the late 1970s. (From what I understand, the original owners built the display tables). I now live down the street and I consider Bailey Coy Books a major neighborhood amenity. Thanks for being an important presence on Broadway and on Capitol Hill and very best wishes!

seadog
seadog
14 years ago

The Baileys have done WONDERFUL things with their money. The deep pockets probably Barbara had probably would have kept the bookstore going in tough times, you don’t get it. Bruce Bailey has been a rock at the Lakeside School.

And you don’t get it, do you? Bill G. learned his philantropy from his mother. Take a walk around the UW campus sometime and you’ll find the Mary Gates Hall, just NE of the fountain. Do you know when the renamed the building after her? Do you know why? Do you know she was a trustee of the University of Washington in the early 80s? Her family gave often and generously to the community, Bill G. has often said she was his example.

Andrew R
Andrew R
14 years ago

I just saw this post and I am numb! I love this store! I have deliberately not bought books at Barnes and Noble and Amazon in order to support this busines-why? Because their quality and level of services is unique. I cannot tell you how many times I have walked in and browsed only to read one of their recommendation cards and bought a book-and I have never been disappointed. I buy all my books there and then resell them back and get a credit to buy more. How many other places do that? The staff is extremely knowledgeable and they read the books they sell. They always have a great recommendation! You cannot get that anywhere else! You cannot find the unique browsing at Amazon and no one at Barnes and Noble knows about the books when you ask about them. DOnt even get me started about Wal Mart selling books-those Republicans dont even read! Where else are you going to get good, quality, innovative GLBT literature either? Certainly not at Barnes and Noble and definitely not at “Family-friendly” Wal-Mart!

Zanne
Zanne
14 years ago

I will echo the previous comments of how this news is like losing a friend. It is one of my favorite bookstores. Best wishes Mr. Wells. I’m sad to see it close.

Wicked1
Wicked1
14 years ago

Guess it depends on your perspective. If you want to live in a generic neighborhood, then the changes on Broadway are probably great. Take a walk down any “boutiquey” street in any major city in the US and they are pretty much all the same now. The first time I went to Boston and spent some time down around Faneuil Hall Marketplace, I was surprised when I realized while walking down the street that all of the stores there were the Gap, Bath and Body Works, the Limited, etc. All the stores you can find in just about every generic neighborhood in the US. Except for Faneuil Hall Marketplace, I could have been in LA, Atlanta, Chicago, you name it.

If you want to live in a neighborhood that has character, quirkiness, and vitality, Broadway lost that character a long time ago.

While I no longer live in Seattle, and haven’t been back there for a while now, I recall spending a lot of time on Capital Hill visiting all the odd, quirky stores, drinking coffee and meeting friends at Haagen Dazs or waiting in line with friends for breakfast at Eggs Cetera.

Bailey Coy Books was special to me because I could hang out perusing the books and spend time with my partner Larry, who worked at Broadway Video in the back of Bailey Coy.

That was when Broadway was a safe place to walk at night and there were more people on the street after midnight Friday and Saturday than during the afternoon. Before Broadway became “the” place to be and became Yuppie central.

Unfortunately most American cities are now becoming sterilized, generic copies of each other, lacking any unique qualities that set them apart from every other city.

While the sky may not be falling, it sure is getting grayer.

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14 years ago

Democrats shop at Walmart.

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14 years ago

I can still get a halloween costume 365 days a year and on that same walk down Broadway I can get a sex toy, discounted sexy panties, an african drum, locally roasted coffee, some traditional Indian dress, etc.

How is that generic?

Nutmeg
Nutmeg
14 years ago

I remember three years ago going on a date with my now fiance. We were wandering Broadway after coffee and my fiance became really excited when he realized he knew the first line of the day posted on the board outside, and we went inside Bailey/Coy for the first time that day and have been loyal customers ever since. I will miss the hand picked selection, warm atmosphere, and staff recommendations dearly.

Michael Wells
Michael Wells
14 years ago

Hi Folks, me again. Barbara Bailey would like it to me known that if there were Bailey Timber Barons they were definitely from another branch of the family… No Timber money courses through those Bailey veins…

Jillian Anderson
Jillian Anderson
14 years ago

Thank you so much for having such an amazing bookstore. I actually cried when I heard the news today. Bailey/Coy is one of my most beloved stores. It has helped shape my neighborhood into the charming and beautiful place that it is. It’s a fairly small store, but you have always had the books that I want. I admire you knowledgeable and dedicated staff who always know what I am looking for and who are always ready to make recommendations. Capitol hill will not be the same without you. You will be missed!
My family will certainly plan to support you in your closing sale and we thank you for all of your years in the best part of Seattle.
We love you!!!

Michael Strangeways
Michael Strangeways
14 years ago

uh, WTF?

Where are all these wonderful new businesses that you speak of? True, there’s been several new restaurants opening recently, but that’s Pike/Pine/12th and a couple of new boutique shops have moved to the Hill but that’s about it. Not really enough to offset the loss of our only non-used bookstore…also, everything coming to the Hill has been upscale…all those restaurants/bars/boutiques are geared to upmarket newcomers to the Hill and visitors from the Eastside and not to the the MAJORITY of traditional Capitol Hill residents. We’re unhappy that we’re being priced (and frankly, bored) out of our homes to placate the yuppie swarm who enjoy $10 cocktails, bland trendy food d’jour, shittily constructed and overpriced condos, twee boutiques selling $100 outfits for 4 year olds, and “fun” nightclubs that aren’t too rowdy and discourage live music, gays and people of color….

I’m thrilled that you are happy for the new, improved, shiny-clean, bland, antiseptic, thriving Capitol Hill but I’m guessing that for the majority of longtime residents, we’re less than joyed that our neighborhood is being Epcoted out of existence.

Michael Strangeways
Michael Strangeways
14 years ago

too bad after you’re done buying your dildo, sex panties, African mask and soy latte that you can’t buy a new book on Broadway…

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14 years ago

WTF? A very intelligent way to respond.

I don’t know what a traditional capitol hill resident is nor do I care. I also don’t care if you want to keep this a gay neighborhood because I don’t care about that either (you probably missed complaining about this).

You and your other non-generic (whatever that means) friends obviously didn’t care enough about this store to keep it in the neighborhood. Or, the business didn’t care enough about Capitol Hill to adapt to the people living in this neighborhood.

This isn’t the 70s or whatever time you wish Capitol Hill was frozen in. If you don’t like the way it is evolving, either move out or make it change the way you want it. You can’t keep time standing still.

It is my neighborhood as well. You don’t own it so stop pushing your idea of it on me.

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14 years ago

I don’t think I could afford an overpriced book at Bailey/Coy after buying everything else.

Traevynn
Traevynn
14 years ago

This news definitely was a bitter pill to swallow. My sweetie and I often make a special trip down Broadway to Bailey/Coy just to see if we know the answer to the trivia contest. Several books on my shelf are recent acquisitions due to getting the correct answer and I’ll miss wandering around the display tables to see what grabs my interest.
Books are always on my gift-giving list and Bailey/Coy is my go-to place.

Crap. Not a good start for my week.

TJ
TJ
14 years ago

Bookstores, music stores and venues are the best. But they always have to struggle to keep on. When I moved here there were hundreds. So many good ones have fallen away in the past few years. I’m always sad to see them go, and always wondering why.

Without the creative people, we’d all still be living in caves and enjoying carcasses and rockfalls for art. How much talent is squandered on shitty jobs that keep body and soul together? It sucks that this mundane battle never ends.

It’s a cycle. Thanks, B/C, for holding up your end for so long. There’ll be room for us all to hang out when they get tired of their shiny toys again.

Kelly D
Kelly D
14 years ago

I reluctantly have to agree with krt.

Odd that the article talks about Bailey Coy’s “recent struggles”, even though Michael readily confirms the bookstore has been in trouble for years. I’m actually surprised it lasted as long as it did. Many a night one could look in and would find it hard to find more than 2 or 3 customers at best, and who knows if they left with a purchase. Ironic too that Wells supported the Broadway Business “Improvement” scam, the very thing that has basically shut down more than half of Broadway for the last 5 years, and put other shops out of business. Hello BRIX?

Bailey-Coy used to have a great gay section, and an even better section on film and the arts. 2-3 years ago the film section was reduced to a tiny shelf in the front corner of the store…a puzzling decision for a shop in a neighborhood that embraces movies.

However, it’s too easy to look back in hindsight…what’s past is past.

It may not be too late to turn this around if Michael is up to it. Why not copy the business model used by Twice Told Tales and Half Price Books. They’re both thriving. Sure, FPB is a chain store, but they started out with one shop, and even added a store during this past recessive year.

Bailey-Coy could still keep selling new titles and specialty note cards in say 1/4 of the store. They could special-order books for loyal customers. But then 3/4 of the store could flourish selling used books, and then perhaps they wouldn’t have to close. I know they tried selling used books a few years ago, but 13 books on a table isn’t the way to do it.

A similar situation is happening at Broadway Video. Compared to just 4-5 years ago, BV is a ghost town most nights, yet the used DVD/Video store a few doors north of Bailey Coy is doing so well, they EXPANDED into the vacant shop next to them just a few months back.

We could help them get started and turn this around by donating our used books (in great condition). Wouldn’t cost us a thing, and may just keep B-C in business.

Uncle Vinny
Uncle Vinny
14 years ago

I’ve been a longtime loyal customer of B/C, having filled out many bonus cards and answered a lot of “first line” puzzles over the 10+ years I’ve lived on the hill. I’ve been a little worried about them for quite a while as the number of books on the shelf has dwindled. I really do miss the way it was a year ago, when there were a ton of books to browse…. but I’m glad that Michael is closing it down the way he wants to, instead of being forced into a corner. I’ll keep a lot of happy memories of books I stumbled on there, and great chats with the staff.

As for the future of books on Capitol Hill? We read a lot, and we will continue to get great books from Twice Sold Tales and Pilot Books. Half Price Books maybe is a chain… but they seem like a pretty mellow chain to me! I prefer having them on the hill than Barnes ‘n’ Noble. I think the doom and gloom about our future is a bit much, but things *do* change. Don’t check out, don’t get hysterical. Just stay involved and keep supporting your local folks. I went in to Bliss Soaps the other day… soap is flying off the shelf in there. Great community support, it warms the heart to see it.

Anyway, I’ll stop mumbling. Thanks again to the Bailey/Coy folks.

Bunny (in Tucson)
Bunny (in Tucson)
14 years ago

In the 80s, we made frequent treks from Tacoma to Seattle for Bailey Coy’s books and Dilettante’s hot fudge sundaes. It’s sad reading about Bailey Coy’s closing. Support your independent book stores!

Lil
Lil
14 years ago

Thank you Bailey/Coy for being one of my neighborhood bookstores when I was growing up on the Hill. They are all closed now and that makes me sad. But I think there is room in this new world of discount books, ebooks, and chain store price wars for successful Independent Bookstores. We’ve seen many close in the past few years, but there are still independent options in this city. The next time you need a book consider going to Elliot Bay, Secret Garden Books in Ballard, Queen Anne Books, Magnolia Books, Third Place Books, etc…

p.s. The books at B/C weren’t over-priced, as one comment says, they were charging the cover price. When chain store offer deep discounts they are almost always selling those books at a loss to draw you in to buy other things.

Comrade Bunny
Comrade Bunny
14 years ago

I’m sorry to see that a landmark of Broadway is ending its time with us. I will certainly miss Bailey/Coy.

Michael Strangeways
Michael Strangeways
14 years ago

What a douche.

Neighborhoods shouldn’t stand still. And, I don’t think I suggested that ONCE in anything I posted on here, so obviously you are an idiot without the sense to properly read and understand the written word. Also, I didn’t mention the word “gay” once so now you’re just projecting your own irrational homophobia which would explain your lack of a screen name and cowardly stance.

Healthy neighborhoods have to change in order to grow and thrive. But healthy growth doesn’t mean you tear everything down…smart cities (ie, Portland) control growth by encouraging new development that is respectful to the integrity of the neighborhood. Seattle (and most American cities)are too busy sucking at the teat of the developers to care or think about building smart, livable neighborhoods. And smart, livable neighborhoods consist of mixtures of new and old and practical and fun and rich and poor. Yes, it’s great to have trendy pricy restaurants and shops that sell high end non-necessities but you also need to have moderately priced restaurants and shops as well as businesses that provide dull but essential services. Ideally, a healthy urban neighborhood is one where you can get the majority of your necessary goods and services from the fun to the mundane, all in one locality, not a high end ghetto with condos, trendy restaurants and plenty of ample parking for SUV’s.

But Bailey Coy isn’t expiring because of developers (well, not entirely; the gentrification of neighborhoods leads to high rents). As our society changes business models change as well. Independent bookstores, like modern urban neighborhoods, have to learn how to adapt-to change their ways of doing business-to learn how to hang on to beloved traditions while utilizing new technologies or strategies-or, they will all perish.

James
James
14 years ago

“Bailey Coy offered a viewpoint and accompanying set of book titles that seemed frozen in a different era. I realized this when the staff phoned me to say that they were not able to fulfill my order for a book by a contemporary British cultural commentator with a decidely non-leftist perspective.”

This is arrant nonsense. Bailey/Coy certainly had (still has, for another few weeks) an aesthetic and political sensibility that influenced what they chose to stock, but they were always eager to provide whatever books their customers wanted. If they weren’t able to fulfill your order, it was because that book was not available to them, simple as that.