We found Seattle’s fastest bookstore! Introducing Blue Kettle Books, a bookshop on wheels. <\/p>\n
The little bus travels around to local hotspots and gatherings, bringing the gift of reading right to you. Have an event or a party coming up? You can also request Blue Kettle to stop by. <\/p>\n
The name “Blue Kettle” was inspired by the sight of a soothing tea kettle alongside a stack of weathered novels. “Blue” the bookmobile is a shuttle bus, converted into a traveling bookstore filled with a rich trove of buzzy, new books and off-radar classics for all ages.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe impetus behind Blue Kettle bookmobile was to bring books to as many people in as many communities as possible,\u201d said owner Sarah Nau. \u201cThird places like bookstores are in decline, especially with the rise of bigger conglomerates like Amazon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sociologist Ray Oldenburg introduced the concept of the \u201cThird Place\u201d in his 1989 book \u201cThe Great Good Place.\u201d It refers to a communal space separate from home or work where people gather for social connection and shared experiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s important for communities to be able to have access to books and materials and the things that captured their imagination and expand their horizons,\u201d said Rau. \u201cWe sort of figured the best way to do that is through a mobile bookstore as opposed to a brick-and-mortar location.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blue Kettle offers new books and is not genre-specific.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have everything from board books for babies to children’s books, young adults, teens, all the way through, you know, as high as the age limit wants to go, in all genres. So, we have fiction, nonfiction, and we have cookbooks, we have murder mysteries, we have romance.\u201d<\/p>\n
They also have what Rau calls \u201cbookish goods.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, we have note cards and bookmarks and stickers and book-themed candles, magnets, and the like,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Rau said the most fun but most challenging part of her job is deciding which books to carry.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust because Blue is only so big, so we do have to be really careful about what books we stock just because our space is so limited,\u201d she explained. \u201cSo, a lot of it is from feedback from community members asking us to stock books and really listening to what community members are saying that they’re reading or what they’re interested in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rau said another great resource is the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery week, they publish a list of what the top sellers are here in the Pacific Northwest, and that is a really good guide and resource to be able to look to about what people are excited about here in our little corner of the country,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Blue doesn\u2019t have a regular route. Instead, the van goes to events including street fairs, markets and musical festivals. They also have partnerships with breweries, coffee shops, and other pop-ups.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are starting to work more closely with school-based organizations, PTAs in public schools to be able to offer a more equitable book fair to students and families,\u201d said Rau. \u201cAnd then we even do private events as well, so we’ve had organizations or businesses ask for us to come and sell books for a couple of hours on site for their employees. We’ve done birthday parties, we’ve done block parties.\u201d<\/p>\n Anyone can request that Blue come to their school, workplace, or special event.<\/p>\n \u201cThe beauty of being a mobile bookstore is that we do have the option to bring the books to the people,\u201d said Rau.<\/p>\n You can make a bookmobile request by emailing info@bluekettlebooks.com. See their calendar<\/a> and follow on Instagram<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> or shop here<\/a>. <\/p>\n Susan Wyatt is a freelance writer for Seattle Refined, specializing in pets, gardening and all-around swell stuff in the PNW.<\/p>\n READ MORE: <\/strong><\/p>\n