Open House & Annual Sale at Griffin Bay Books

Anniversary Open House on Saturday, November 9, 10:00 am—6:00 pm

20% off on all books in the store

It’s November and time for Griffin Bay Bookstore’s annual Open House and Sale. Bookstore owner Laura Norris and her team are celebrating 34 years of bookselling on Saturday, November 9, 10:00 am—6:00 pm with a storewide sale of 20% off on all books on the shelves. This annual sale is Laura’s way of thanking our island community for loyal support and on-going patronage, for shopping locally, and for dedication to an independent bookstore. The Open House will feature complimentary snacks from Cynthia’s of Course, and the bookstore’s signature coffee, Caffe Umbria.

You’ll find the bookstore crammed with all manner of books and things literary, as well as a wide range of gift items, perfect for getting you started on your holiday shopping. If you want to make a splash this winter, you’d better have a pair of sturdy rubber boots made for women and children, decorated with colorful Northwest Coast Native designs. As usual there’s an ample supply of stationery, boxed cards, holiday cards, thank you notes, sticky notes in various shapes and colors, journals, the traditional-looking Moleskines, others more colorful and zany. There are plenty of 2014 day planners and calendars to get you off on the right foot in January. Many new gift items have just arrived, especially a host of DVDs that are sure to keep you entertained on wintry nights. You’ll find tote bags to haul your books and gear, some large and deep, made with bright and cheerful fabric, outside pockets, and easy-to-grip handles. You can even sling them over your shoulder!

There are children’s activities galore, games, fun and educational, some designed as learning tools for kids getting ready for school. You’ll also see a wonderful collection of Northwest Coast animals—eagles, hummingbirds, bears, otters, and more—as hand puppets, plush toys, and an array of bright animals to float in the bath. Many classics for children (and adults) have been re-issued in hardback by Penguin. They feature gorgeous patterns stamped on linen cases, colored endpapers, and ribbon markers. They’re visually stunning and wonderful to touch and hold. And, they’re affordable.

New fiction and non-fiction, big picture books, homesteading and gardening books, architecture, history, economics—it’s all here, ready and waiting to pique your interest. Don’t hesitate: what you might need to keep your mind at work when wind and rain keep you inside is in plain sight at Griffin Bay Bookstore.

For foodies as well as the inveterate cooks among us, there are a slew of new cookbooks, in both hardback and paperback, that will surely make you head right to the kitchen. They’re not only enticing, but filled with recipes using all manner of fresh, local, artisanal, and ethnic foods and ingredients. No matter if you’re vegetarian, vegan, a forager, gluten-free, a dieter, a carnivore or an omnivore, there’s a cookbook for you. Here’s a smattering of them: Ottolenghi, The New Moosewood Cookbook, Mollie Katzen’s latest, Heart of the Plate, The Kinfolk Table, Clodagh’s Kitchen Diaries, and David Tanis’ new and useful, One Good Dish.

You’ll find many more like these, reflecting new, imaginative, and healthy ways to cook and eat. For new cooks and those emphatic resisters who need some cooking basics, Jessica Seinfeld’s The Can’t Cook Book is a must. Look for dessert cookbooks geared for children, and for paraphernalia for their adventures in the kitchen.

Griffin Bay Bookstore is part of IndieBound, an offshoot of the American Bookseller’s Association, developed to promote the benefits of independent bookstores across America as well as the benefits of shopping or buying locally. Communities with “Buy Local” campaigns have seen increased holiday sales. When you shop locally and support your independent bookstore you discover what’s new, what’s great to read. And you nurture your own community and its well-being, just one more reason to attend Griffin Bay Bookstore’s Open House and Anniversary Sale on Saturday, November 9, 10:00—6:00 p.m.! It’s a community tradition.

You can support the San Juan Update by doing business with our loyal advertisers, and by making a one-time contribution or a recurring donation.