Twice Sold Tales in Seattle, Washington: The Best Used Bookstore on Capitol Hill

Twice Sold Tales is possibly one the coolest used bookstores in Seattle. First of all, it's on Capitol Hill right off of Broadway and it's been in business for years, so right there it's automatically awesome. But for me, the real charm of Twice Sold Tales is the cats. There are not one, not two, but at least half a dozen cats in Twice Sold Tales at any given time. They are also very friendly cats. If you decide to take a seat while you peruse the selection, they will come and keep you company. The chances are good that they will sit on your lap and purr until the time comes for you to toss them off because you have to leave.

This is also a warning. If you hate cats, are terribly allergic to cats, or just don't want cat hair all over you after visiting a used bookstore, don't come here.

Besides the cats, Twice Sold Tales is a good used bookstore. They have an eclectic selection and there are new books coming in all the time. Their sci-fi/ fantasy selection is extensive if sporadic in quality, though I can usually find something worth buying if I look for a bit. They have a nice cookbook selection too - some of my favorite recipes came out of that store. They also have an excellent Religion and Spirituality section. I think a lot of the students from the nearby Seattle University come to Twice Sold Tales to sell the books from their theology courses. The end result is a wide ranging selection of theological classics in Christianity and Buddhism, with a fair smattering of Hinduism and just about anything else.

Twice Sold is still recovering from its recent move this last spring, so things are still a little unorganized. Then again, it's a used bookstore, so that's not too unusual. I feel like they're still working on their ambiance too. Twice Sold had been it's previous location on John and Broadway for nineteen years, so atmosphere just kind of accumulated. Hopefully the old bookstore feel will come back within a year or two in their new location at Denny and Harvard. Their new cat with waving tail neon sign has got them off to a good start, as does the labyrinthine arrangement of their store. I'm pretty sure that the space was set up like that to begin with and they just decided to leave it. Although the neon cat sign is definitely new.

Another result of their move is shorter hours. I'm pretty sure that they open at nine or ten in the morning and close by nine or ten at night every day. They can't stay open as late anymore because their store is in the first floor of an apartment building - no more late, late Friday nights look for literary bargains. Sigh. However, I heard that the lovely owner, Jamie, signed a ten year lease for their new location, so though it might have a few disadvantages, at least we know they won't have to move again any time soon.

Twice Sold Tales also has a location on University Way in the University District near (you guessed it) the University of Washington - just as great of a selection, just as many cats. I believe there is also a store on Queen Anne Hill, but I've never been so I don't know where it is or what it's like.