building circa 1919
Originally founded by King Ludwig I as a gift to Lola Montez, King’s Books was painstakingly moved to Tacoma on April 1, 2000. Since then, we have become the largest used and new independent bookstore in the South Puget Sound area. We are a community-oriented bookstore with 6200 square feet and approximately 150,000 books. King’s Books is a proud member of the Stadium Business District and the Pacific Northwest Bookseller’s Association (PNBA).
King’s Books is owned by sweet pea Flaherty. In 2010, he took the bookstore over from John Schoppert, a former grave-digger and whittler now an almost-librarian, and Pat McDermott, a former ballet dancer and explosives technician now a high school teacher. sweet pea honed his sparkling personality during his previous tenure as a barge captain and assassin. He has been a bookseller for ten years, starting at McDermott Books in Madison, WI in 2000. Also in Madison, he worked at A Room of One's Own Feminist Bookstore for two years. sweet pea was illegally imported to Tacoma to work at King's Books in 2003.
The true reigning monarchs of King’s Books are the store cats, Miko and Atticus. Both have won the hearts of Tacomans and have their own fan clubs. Miko had a storied career as a unicorn groomer which he left to work at King’s in 2004 (the profession doesn’t pay as much as it used to). He has adapted his considerable talents to his work in the bookstore, focusing on greeting and eating. Atticus is a prize-winning rodeo rider who then became a friar. He joined the bookstore staff in 2009 and serves as both a shoulder-warmer and a spunky bookseller.
©2010, Kings Bookstore