Capitol Hill’s Elliott Bay Book Company sold to new owners

SEATTLE — The iconic Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood has been sold to a group of new owners.

The nearly 50-year-old store was bought by the store’s general manager of the last 32 years, Tracy Taylor, and married couple Murf Hall and Joey Burgess.

The trio of neighborhood civic and business leaders also co-own Pike/Pine newsstand Big Little News, which opened in 2021.

The bookstore was founded in 1973 on Main Street in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood by Walter and Maggie Carr. Peter Aaron joined the company when Carr retired in 1999 and became the sole owner in 2001, according to a news release.

Taylor, Hall and Burgess took over ownership from Aaron on June 1, 2022.

The bookstore is located in a building constructed in 1918, which used to be a Ford truck repair shop.

The store spans more than 20,000 square feet and features 19-foot-tall ceilings, more than 150,000 titles, and many rows of cedar shelves.

The Associated Press has referred to Elliott Bay Book Company as a “literary landmark,” according to Taylor.

The new co-owners said they don’t plan on any immediate changes to the store, except for perhaps a fresh coat of paint.

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