It's been thirty years….!

Drop by Saturday!

Nancy Larsen tells me it’s a great celebration, and I think it’s a wonderful time to honor & remember the work of Susan, and to appreciate the great job Laura has done continuing & improving on her achievement. I miss Susan, but always feel she would be so proud of the way Laura has made Griffin Bay Bookstore a key part of Friday Harbor’s business hub. Here’s more from Nancy:

Griffin Bay Bookstore is celebrating 30 years of book selling in Friday Harbor with an Open House Saturday, November 14, 10:00am—6:00pm, to thank our island community for loyal support and on-going patronage. Everyone is invited to stop in for the storewide sale of 20% off all books, and complimentary treats from Bakery San Juan and Cynthia’s of Course, and the bookstore’s signature coffee, Caffe Umbria.

Current owner Laura Norris has operated the landmark bookstore since July, 2006 following the death of long-time owner and friend, Susan Eyerly, who, over the course of 25 years, developed a special rapport with myriad readers, not only local but countless from  all over the world. Laura maintains this vital connection to book lovers, and adheres to Eyerly’s tradition of stocking the store with all manner of books, paying particular attention to customers’ preferences and tastes, and choosing books she believes will feed their love of the written word.

Since taking over Griffin Bay, Laura has expanded on Eyerly’s vision for the bookstore as a social, literary, and cultural hub of the community. In 2007 the bookstore was moved from a tiny nook on First Street to larger quarters on Spring Street just across from King’s Market. This move afforded Laura the opportunity to open a book lover’s delight, a café, a meeting place for long-term customers and visitors, a place where they can leaf through books and magazines while sipping a latte, chatting with friends and neighbors about their new favorite author.

“During the past three plus years I have tried to stock the store with a mix of books, CDs, gift items and cards to fill the needs of islanders and visitors alike.  Our main goal has been to provide top notch customer service, and to that end we offer online ordering capability on our new website, www.griffinbaybook.com, which enables customers to browse and shop at the bookstore from home or anywhere in the world.  Now it’s possible to order a book online and choose to pick it up in the store, pay no shipping charges, and get an extra discount as part of our customer appreciation program.”

For 30 years Griffin Bay Bookstore has been known for excellent and friendly service, a well-read and informed staff, and for finding and ordering books for customers. “Supplying books for special orders has long been our specialty and I am dedicated to meeting our customers’ needs,” says Laura.  In addition, she is pleased to be serving the community by continuing the high level of service that the bookstore has been known for all these years.

With more room to grow, Laura has refreshed and expanded the store’s collection of books, adding more new fiction and non-fiction to the shelves. Shoppers can also find games for rainy days and ferry trips, cards and photographs by local artists, great looking journals and calendars, and gifts for all occasions.

As a way of thanking island customers, Laura is offering 20% off all books in the store on November 14. Early holiday shoppers will find not only bargains, but a plentiful supply of new books to choose from by such renowned authors as John Irving, Jon Krakauer, Jeannette Walls, Sherman Alexie, Malcolm Gladwell, Alexander McCall Smith, Margaret Atwood, and Orhan Pamuk.  If you’re looking for the right gift for your favorite cook, new cookbooks with an emphasis on fresh and local ingredients have just arrived. Children’s holiday books are in stock now, along with boxed cards.

Laura first came to San Juan Island in 1963 and graduated from Friday Harbor High School in 1975. She holds a B.A. and M.A. in Anthropology from UW and UCLA respectively.  She is married to Ken Crawbuck and has two children, Claire and Graham Crawbuck, both of whom can be found at the espresso machine or cash registers during the summer.

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