Local

Openings, closings and other updates about Pierce County's bookstore scene

Stories by Tacoma News Tribune journalists, with AI summarization

The curated articles capture the changes in Pierce County's bookstore landscape this year, including openings, closings and relocations.

Puyallup welcomed two independent bookstores, Page & Pine and Bundok Books. Meanwhile, Destiny City Comics in Tacoma announced its closure due to rising rent costs. Barnes & Noble opened a second Pierce County store at the South Hill Mall.

Emily Foster (second from left) visits the Puyallup Farmers’ Market in 2024 with friends and family who she said are big supporters of her new bookshop downtown.

NO. 1: FOR DECADES, DOWNTOWN PUYALLUP HAS BEEN WITHOUT A BOOKSTORE. THAT’S ABOUT TO CHANGE

A bookstore is one of the top businesses people want in downtown Puyallup, a survey found. | Published January 17, 2025 | Read Full Story by Alexis Krell

ETHAN H.D., owner and proprietary, Destiny City Comics poses for a portrait, on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Tacoma, Wash. By Brian Hayes

NO. 2: BELOVED TACOMA COMIC BOOK SHOP KNOWN FOR ITS QUEER AND BIPOC-FRIENDLY TITLES TO CLOSE

Increasing rent made the business unsustainable, one of its owners said. | Published February 14, 2025 | Read Full Story by Becca Most

The interior of Invitation Bookshop, an independent bookstore that sells new books in Gig Harbor, Wash. The store’s name comes from the first poem, “Invitation,” in Shel Silverstein’s collection “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” according to owner Allyson Howard. By Courtesy of Michaela Devine

NO. 3: INDIE BOOKSTORE HAS A NEW PIERCE COUNTY SHOP, ‘ROMANTASY’ BOOK CLUB AND WRITING GROUPS

The new store will open in time for the South Sound Book Crawl. | Published March 12, 2025 | Read Full Story by Julia Park

South Hill Mall in Puyallup is set to lose major retail anchor Macy’s this year, as the retail giant announces its latest wave of store closures.

NO. 4: BARNES & NOBLE EXPANDING IN PIERCE COUNTY WITH SECOND STORE. HERE’S WHERE

There’s also news about the Lakewood location. | Published April 29, 2025 | Read Full Story by Debbie Cockrell

The entrance to Bundok Books in Puyallup on May 8, 2025. The store launched a soft opening at the end of April and is one of three bookstores headed to Puyallup this year.

NO. 5: PUYALLUP HAS LACKED BOOKSTORES FOR YEARS. IT’S ABOUT TO HAVE THREE

A new bookstore opened in Puyallup on April 26. The store’s Instagram account says it is “a mountain of inclusivity in the boondocks.” | Published May 11, 2025 | Read Full Story by Isabela Lund

Barnes & Noble layoffs came as a surprise to workers last week. By Gene J. Puskar

NO. 6: HERE ARE THE DETAILS FOR GRAND OPENING AT NEW LAKEWOOD BARNES & NOBLE

Well-known fantasy authors will cut the ribbon at the new store, which will feature an updated cafe. | Published May 22, 2025 | Read Full Story by Debbie Cockrell

Jennifer Maldonado, left, and Norma Felix, founders of The Hive Market, stand for a portrait in their new marketplace featuring local artisan businesses on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in DuPont, Wash. By Liesbeth Powers

NO. 7: NEW MARKETPLACE WITH ROTATING SMALL BUSINESSES OPENING SOON IN PIERCE COUNTY

On display Wednesday was a “Build a Bu-bu” bar, with clothing and accessories to decorate the viral Labubu plush dolls, which have recently taken the internet by storm. | Published June 27, 2025 | Read Full Story by Becca Most

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Page & Pine, Puyallup’s latest bookstore at 207 W. Stewart Ave., launched its soft opening on June 27. By Emily Foster

NO. 8: NEW STORE IN DOWNTOWN PUYALLUP SELLS 850 BOOKS ON FIRST DAY OF SOFT OPENING

“You can have a crazy idea and, if you are determined and you have the grit and the want for something, you can go after it and get it,” the owner said. | Published July 8, 2025 | Read Full Story by Isabela Lund

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NO. 9: A NEW BARNES & NOBLE STORE JUST OPENED IN PIERCE COUNTY. HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW

A national bookstore chain has finally opened its long-planned store at the South Hill Mall. | Published September 24, 2025 | Read Full Story by Isabela Lund

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.