Bailey-Coy Books

I almost cried when I found out Bailey-​Coy was closing down.
One of the most fantastic destinations on the hill.
This place is small, and has great atmosphere, and the people that work there are very friendly and helpful, even if you’re looking for something weird.
I have always been offered help, without ever feeling pestered or followed, something most booksellers don’t seem to know how to do.
And their staff picks are always great. I have bough so many books I would never have even thought to give a second glance, and absolutely LOVED each and every one of them.
And they are a great destination for cute, original, funny cards for birthdays and holidays.
Their closing is a huge loss to the community, as on top of being a wonderful bookstore, they were the only bookstore.

One of the first things I always notice about any given area is the number of newstands or bookstores, particularly locally owned, independent ones. Because I’m a sucker for both, I try to avoid them. But last week I succumbed to Bailey-​Coy for the first time, and I’m really sad to see it go.
Spacious and well organized, the store is the perfect balance of browsing and ability to purchase quickly and easily. Even though the store is closing at the end of November, the staff was nice and friendly, the store pleasant and clean, and the selection still quite good. I left with three paperbacks and very narrowly refrained from buying a spider from their Halloween display to scare my housemate with.
The store is selling most all fixtures and décor items, so if something catches your eye it can’t hurt to ask. Also all book purchases are 20% off until the store closes, so if you’re on the hill it’s worth a drop by.

But it’s too late now… they’re going out of business at the end of November or whenever they run out of stock. I was in last night and it looked pretty bare. I will mourn when they go, they were one of the little bookstores in town that you could just hang out in for hours and look at art books and travel books and maybe buy a used scifi novel just cuz you liked the cover. Sigh.

I love this place; I started going here for my books after the Amazon fail catastrophe. The store’s design is an odd conglomeration of a high end fashion store plus eclectic folksy museum, but that’s just part of its charm. I love the little note cards describing employee picks of the moment, I love the little tables with odds and ends carefully displayed, and I love how friendly and easy going (yet unobtrusive) the staff is.
They have a pretty good selection of Moleskine and an amazing, rotating selection of stationery from independent artists. If I ever need a card, I splurge on one here. I’ve never had a problem finding something I want; if they don’t have it, they order it, if I don’t have time to hunt it down myself, they set it aside for me, if I just want to spend hours browsing their shelves, they don’t stop me, and when I get to the counter they’re attentive, friendly, and fast.
Another good thing is their frequent buyer card: once you fill it out, I think the deal is that they give you back a portion of your money, though I forget exactly how much.
Really– it doesn’t get better than this.

This place is great! Support your local bookstore. It is a fun place to browse and the staff is very friendly. Forget Amazon. Even if they don’t have exactly what you are looking for, please, order it through them rather than online. I think in these times they need all the support they can get. They have a great card selection too.

I went in for the first time today, and it was super organized and clean, but not in the sort of way where you don’t want to touch anything for fear of making a mess. I was surprised to find not one, but two copies of DeLillo’s Underworld, and one was used, so it only cost 7 dollars.
I was pleased to hear as I paid that they offer book cards, where once you come in ten times, they take the average of the cost of your purchases, and you get that much in store credit. They had a lot of useful staff recommendation signs around the store that make it easy for someone without a particular book in mind.

Damn you Bailey Coy !!!
for being so damn good in your selection of books, I can never seem to just go in and browse the book, oh no… your gonna cost me every damn time I walk threw your doors
of course the payback is I get such good books to read, and its never the main stream crap I would get at Borders or B & N as I shop both those also, but this is your place for the out of the norm books, its like a indie book store if there ever was such a thing
just walking by like tonight, they have a nice display in there windows as usual, and the display has a theme not sure what it was tonight, but the cover of a book caught my eye, so I went in to investigate the book is «the glass books of the dream eaters Vol 1»
and in true form they have the books laid out and some have reviews on the book, oh look a short synopsis on this book, they have me now I am good for at least this book, but oh no I don’t stop there oh hell no !!
so about $ 75 later I am happy and on my way with a few new books to read, until the next time I walk threw your doors Bailey Coy

Very homey store with lots of cute things to look at and a lot of different kinds of books. However, I don’t quite see what makes this place ‘special’ out of any other store. It truly was «A-​OK» but what makes it fabulous? I’m not quite sure. I went here to check out some books because it was so highly rated and I was in the area but I don’t see the big deal about this place.
I did like that there were so many recommended books available with a little bit of information about each book. But it wouldn’t be too practical unless I went purely to browse because when I buy a book it is usually because a) I have to buy it for school or b) it’s a book I’ve been meaning to buy for a long time. But it was fun to read different people’s suggestions so it’s a great place to go if you’re looking for a new book and have a lot of time to kill =)
I tried to smile at the lady before leaving but she didn’t smile back. Hence. 3 stars.

Whenever I walk by Bailey/​Coy I check out the sandwich board to see the first line of a book. If you can name the book you get 20% off. Sometimes I veer way off course just to walk by the sandwich board because A#1 I’m a big nerd and B#2 I like buying books and if I know the first line I allow myself to buy a book.
Enough about my neuroses. Bailey/​Coy has a very knowledgeable staff who are always really helpful with suggestions (in fact, I’ve thought more than once that some of them should be librarians). While their selection isn’t huge, it’s well-​chosen and they can order almost anything for you. They also have some fun artsy gifts and cards if you have a birthday party to go to.

I love this bookstore. I have made many purchases based solely on the staff recommendations and have never been disappointed. I also once knew the answer to the first line they post on their advert board outside, which made me feel like a champ. (Too bad it was only once!)
If you are looking for something specific, I might suggest calling first, since the space is small so they obviously don’t have the wide selection of a national chain. However, it’s a great place to go in to find something new.

This is a really nice bookstore. It may not have as big of a selection or as cool of a feel as Elliot Bay Books downtown, but the staff is really friendly and makes terrific recommendations. I’ve gotten a number of excellent books for myself and others based on their «staff picks.»
This is an especially great place to get gifts! They have nice gift cards, a buy 10 get 1 free discount (coffee house punchcard style), and they do a great wrapping job!

Everyone seems to mention how the selection is not large. If you think about it, thats whats makes Bailey-​Coy, and bookstores like it, so charming. If this were Barnes and Noble or Borders of course you’d be likely to find whatever you’re looking for. Half the charm is being able to go from small bookstore to small bookstore. Although, I am guilty of going to those larger stores to find most of my purchases. But I digress.
Bailey-​Coy is a treat after a lazy Sunday stroll down Broadway. It is usually the point where I like to turn and head home. But not before strolling through the tables and shelves at BC.
If you have not been before, I suggest you swing by and buy something to keep these charming businesses on Capitol Hill. The staff knows right away whether they have a copy of what you’re looking for and you can always find something you had not heard of before.

Bailey Coy is a small space so there’s not going to be ‘everything.’ However, they do have a great selection of books, weeding out a lot of the junk so you don’t have to.
And it boils down to this: I love that it’s an independent bookstore with a knowledgeable staff, and the fact that they can order the book I want with no problem and I get it the next day. That’s pretty sweet, wouldn’t you say?

The best part about any bookstore is the exploration. A good bookstore is a delightful trip into the hidden depths and wonderful vagaries of someone else’s worldview as told by their selection — and placement — of reading options. If you imagine a visit to a new bookstore to be sort of like a trip to the deepest, darkest jungle, that gives you an idea.
It’s a wild world in a bookstore and great guidance helps your navigation immensely. The paths can be familiar, or take unexpected turns. The search for hidden treasures can be arduous — or easy if the guides have placed decent signs pointing you to these hidden gems. And the best bookstore jungle guides notice when you might be a bit lost and are happy to point out and describe their favorite ‘wildlife’.
Bailey-​Coy was a wonderful adventure! Signposting along the way led me to areas both familiar and new — and my foraging bag was quite full when I finally returned to civilization. My guide pointed out a couple of personal favorites and I left with enough reading material to get me through my downtime while in Seattle.

I love to read… but only one writer. I love to read his books. His name is Haruki Murakami,(if u wanted to know)
I’m really no person to grade book stores but Bailey-​Coy Books won the mention from me. At the time I went into the store, I was looking for a pretty B.D. card for my friend. I’m picky for most of the designed stuff, they have to be good looking and well designed… u know. I don’t mind paying when it’s good.
In short, I’d go there again to look for pretty cards. I got awesome Thank You card (I changed my mind and got thank you one cuz it was so cute) Also, if I had some money to spare on something cool and random to read AND if I don’t feel like going to the Half Price Books for some reasons, such as too many selections over there or I want to feel pretty while I shop, I’d go here.

When I’m here I feel like Charlie in Willy Wonka’s factory. Like Mary in her Secret Garden. A fairly sensible protagonist caught up in an atmosphere of possibility. Bailey-​Coy is a clean, well-​lit store that promises clothed mystery. Romantics, be warned, it doesn’t creak nor does damp light spill onto your face from dusty windows. But it is spacious, yet manageable — a true feat for a store with this much inventory.
Bailey-​Coy warps dozens of mysterious literary thickets into one tiny forest of delights. With tables of small stacks throughout the foyer and loosely filled racks of book siding, the space is cozy but not overwhelming. Instead of cramming the books, spines glaring out at you, they give the covers plenty of shelf-​space. Pretty darlings.
There is a time and a place for getting lost and getting found. Unlike Elliot Bay, you don’t get lost in these stacks. No, instead you come here to get found, to know exactly where you are.

If you know which book you need, go elsewhere. If you just need a book, go in.
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, a hoper, a prayer, a magic-​bean-​buyer. If you’re a pretender, go walk by their foyer. And if the books call you, go in.
Emily Flake, you can borrow my oxygen trolley any day.

Proof that bigger isn’t always better. Not a large bookstore, not a gigantic selection. But, one of the best collections of interesting books around. It’s amazing how much time you can spend browsing in a place the size of the post office lobby.
There is always, and I mean ALWAYS at least one book I just have to have from the selections carefully laid out on the tables near the front and center of the store. There’s just something about the selection of books and they way they’re displayed that never fails to catch my eye.
Another thing is that I’m often skeptical of «staff picks». You know, those notes that are hand written under select books. Usually they either seem designed to push certain books, or are just sort of precocious. But here, I trust the staff’s obvious love of reading, and so I trust their selections.

There’s allot of cats in this store and I’m not really a cat person. But these are really cool fat slobby cats and dig this store. Not only did I score a mint copy of Johnny Cash’s «The Man in Black» autobiography, but also an unauthorized bio of KISS, a cigar book and a make your favorite drinks at home book– all for 15 bucks!
Plenty of books to get lost in and the knowledgeable staff will help you when you get to the point you really need to find something.

Every time I stop in here, something on the tables catches my eye, and I have to buy it. And I have spent the past 10 years working in bookstores, and a lifetime shopping in them — so this is no small feat.
Obviously a knowledgeable staff — they are friendly but unobtrusive, and they let the books speak to the customers for them. A very wise idea.