This bookstore’s large homeschool section draws families from across Western WA
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- One Less Orphan Benefit Shop reopened in Port Orchard as a new and used bookstore.
- Store profits go to support families with adoption and foster care.
- The store carries a large collection of homeschool curricula.
A shop that sold used clothing, antiques, collectibles and housewares recently reopened as a new-and-used bookstore in Port Orchard’s Mile Hill Plaza.
After over six years as a thrift-style store, One Less Orphan Bookstore had its soft opening Jan. 6 at 1456 Olney Ave. SE, Suite 105. The store’s hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.
“So it’s going to have a different vibe, a different feeling,” Bethany Tilzey, one of the store’s owners, said in a phone call Jan. 5. “We repainted. It’s all this cute little mossy green, and we’ve got an electric fireplace and cozy chairs and little reading nooks, and a kids’ play area still, like we had in our other spot. And we have a really large home school curriculum section that’s probably a third of the store.”
Tilzey and her husband opened the store originally as One Less Orphan Benefit Shop to raise money for orphans and support families seeking to adopt or provide foster care. The couple has nine children, including some through adoption. The store’s profits go toward helping families cover the cost of adoption, supporting orphanages around the world, and necessities like clothing and baby gear, among other needs.
“When we adopted our girls, it was about $35,000 per child, and it’s only gone up from there,” Tilzey said. “It is just ridiculous. ... So anything we can do to help bring these kids home and get them in families and get them medical care and love, that’s what we’re going to do.”
The store’s large collection of homeschool materials fills a real demand, according to Tilzey, who said “there’s just a ton of homeschoolers in the Gig Harbor and Port Orchard areas.” She and her husband also homeschool their kids. People have come from as far away as Winlock, Chehalis, and Vancouver in Washington state, as well as from Bellevue and Kirkland, for their homeschool section, she said.
That section was also part of their retail store.
“ ... it’s very rare to find (homeschooling materials) in person,” Tilzey said. “You pretty much have to buy it online. So we’re really excited that we’re going to still provide that for the community.”
One Less Orphan gets all of their homeschooling curricula via donations, including some that are brand-new from publishing companies. Most of the store’s inventory comes straight from the community, Tilzey told The News Tribune.
One Less Orphan downsized from their retail outlet to a smaller bookstore because they couldn’t afford to continue paying the lease for their original 10,000-square-foot space, Tilzey told The News Tribune. Instead, they arranged to keep just 4,000 square feet and pay a reduced rate, returning the remaining 6,000 square feet to the property owners.
“ ... we’re really hoping that (the store will) be enticing to people to come and get a cup of coffee and sit down and read through a book and just have an enjoyable time,” Tilzey said.
This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 2:04 PM.
