Colville Gains a New Bookstore

Opening to the public for a soft opening on Nov. 1, new book store Seekers Bookshop has been a dream in the making for more than two years. 

“We bought this space when it came up for sale two years ago,” said Lisa Wilson, who owns the bookshop with her husband, Buddy. “The building had lots of potential, and we just had to purchase it.” The Wilsons said they did a complete demolition of the interior of the building after they purchased it.

“We didn’t really know this would be a bookstore when we bought it,” Buddy added. “We had both worked in bookstores, but…”

“…But the idea of a bookstore just came to us after,” finished Lisa.

Buddy, who hails from Texas, and Lisa, who’s from Spokane, met in Bothell, Wash., teaching Sunday school. “We wanted to live in a smaller town, get out of the city, and raise kids,” said Buddy. “We moved out to Colville in 2018. I knew that we would like living here.”

“I know and love books,” said Lisa. “When we moved here, I felt like there was a hole in town where a bookstore ought to be. Colville can definitely use a bookstore.”

Filled with bookshelves from floor to ceiling, the Wilsons said Seekers Bookshop will stock them with all genres of books, ranging from a good selection of science fiction, to books on body, mind, and spirit, to history and contemporary. “We’ll carry everything,” Lisa said. “We will also stock gifts: the kinds of things that readers like, such as bookmarks, journals, hats, candles, figurines.”

The duo have worked hard to make Seekers a spot where readers can browse, lounge, and meet with friends. “A bookstore becomes the center of a community,” Buddy said. “We have comfortable chairs and little tables, reading nooks, and a coffee service area.”

“We also have an event room and a commissary kitchen,” said Lisa. “We want to host events like reading clubs, classes, maybe cooking clubs. The kitchen allows the community to engage.”

“Events are the lifeblood of bookstores,” added Buddy. “We are set up to be able to rent the event room space out. We already have a book club signed up to use the space.”

After much deliberation, Buddy and Lisa Wilson said they settled on the name Seekers. “When people go to a bookstore, they are usually looking for something, whatever it may be,” Buddy said. 

Seekers Bookshop is not connected with the bookstore in the Chase building. “They have their niche in traditional Christian books, just like Barman’s has a specialty in cookbooks,” Buddy said. “We don’t want to step on toes, so we’ve decided to go light on those categories of books.”

“Seekers will quietly open on Nov. 1,” said Lisa. “We will have a grand opening shortly after that. We are really excited to be open. We have a handful of folks ready to help us when we open.”

The Wilsons said they plan to have Seekers open Wednesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Seekers Bookshop is located at 270 South Main Street in Colville. Owners Buddy and Lisa Wilson can be reached at 509-589-9009.