LANGLEY — Langley is turning into a readers and book collectors haven.
The latest addition to “The Book Town By The Sea” is Words & Pictures Bookshop.
John Williams and his wife, Joy Griffin recently opened Words & Pictures Bookshop at 220 Second St. in Langley. The new shop is in the Langley Clock & Gallery building at the corner of Fricke Lane and Second Street.
Words & Pictures features used, out-of-print and collectible books with a focus on art and photography, aviation, travel, cookbooks, children’s books and fiction.
In addition to books, the shop also offers a selection of vintage prints, including a unique collection of photogravures of Washington and the Pacific Northwest from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
“Our intention is to offer high-quality books that appeal to a wide range of interests and to create a pleasant, fun shopping experience,” Williams said. “We hope to serve South End readers and book collectors as well as visitors to Langley.”
Williams added that their inventory is aimed at readers. Collectors can find gems among the hundreds of books, but there are a lot of “readable” and affordable books.
“Joy and I are lifelong book collectors whose dream — for some time — has been to open a bookshop,” Williams said. “Retirement from Atlanta, Ga. to South Whidbey about three years ago afforded us that opportunity and, after a year of planning and inventory acquisition to supplement the 150 boxes of books we brought with us, we opened Words & Pictures.”
Griffin added that they also buy books that are in good condition.
Words & Pictures is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Mondays are by chance or appointment.
Considering the size of Langley, the city has an impressive number of bookstores: The Moonraker Bookstore, Gregor Rare Books, Island Coffee House and Books, Act II Books & Puppets, Lowry-James Rare Prints and Books and Words & Pictures.
The new shop will fit right in, Williams said.
“As a used and out-of-print bookshop in Langley focusing on the avid reader, we fit right in with the village’s other bookshops,” he said. “Indeed we are beginning to collectively promote Langley to bibliophiles and book lovers as the ‘Book Town by the Sea.’”
