BLMF Literary Saloon

Great bookstore in Pike Place Market. The prices were very reasonable. Good selection of books and genres. The owner was helpful in finding books and friendly.

Still amazing!
I stopped in here the other day to grab a couple more books to read on my flight.
The man working there (employee, not the owner) was friendly and helpful. This store is just so wonderful, I really appreciate the care that they take in choosing their stock and their friendly, helpful, smart manner.
Three cheers for BLMF!

BLMF — one of my favourite bookstores in Seattle for sure, and maybe anywhere.
It’s a little space down two levels underneath the bustle of Pike Place Market, and it’s packed full with shelf upon shelf of good books, all used, sectioned off into areas that wander and expand. Books overflow onto the high shelves above, and sometimes onto the floor below as well, and one section flows into the next with deceptive ease.
Like all my favourite bookshops, BLMF is one that encourages (maybe even necessitates) exploration, with each corner leading you around and over and through, until suddenly you’re somewhere you didn’t expect, and you’ve found something you weren’t looking for but simply have to have.
You can go to BLMF with a particular title in mind, and chances are good that you’ll find it (if you don’t, ask the owner and he’ll know for sure). But even if «that one book» isn’t there, chances are even better that you’ll find something new, something unexpected, and something delightful.
All this is a tiny space underneath Pike Place Market in Seattle — a tiny space, packed full of literary treasures just waiting to be found.

This bookstore, in the bowels of the Pike Place Market, seems to have been there forever, though I recall it used to be down a ways and a bit smaller than it is now.
It has odd Lovecraft touches to it. There is tucked away and to the left, up high, the bust of a SABER TOOTHED TIGER coming out of the wall. The bust looks quite real, and you expect it to move when you are not looking.
There is also the crayon portrait of a woman in the back, on the wall, life sized, who is holding a copy of ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Her eyes follow you as you shop. CREEPY.
She will probably give me nightmares later.
I supposed it reduces shoplifting.
The store, though very small, is packed to the brim with books, books everywhere you look, and good ones, too. I could have bought 10, 20 titles in five minutes if I did not have to haul them too far. The store is in very good order, even though the piles on the floor are sometime 4 feet high.
I was lucky enough to be there when the owner was there. He has been selling books for over 20 years now in the Market. I asked him for a copy of THE BLUE SWORD for my brother, and he knew the book though he was out of it, and he sent me to a used store in the University District that had it. This is an obscure young adult book, so I was quite impressed.
He knows his books. Part of the fun is watching him be patient with the more clueless of the tourists who stumble in there, he seems to have miles of patience. He once told me that 20% of the people who stumble in there think the Saber Toothed Tiger was ‘bagged’ by him personally, while of course it is a model.
Of course it is a model… ok.
If you are in the Pike Place Market, don’t miss this lovely gem of a bookstore, and it’s creepy corners.

This store was the highlight of our trip to Pike Place Market! What can I say that hasn’t been said before: the owner was knowledgable and helpful and his selection was incredibly curated. Somehow, BLMF does not automatically pop up when one searches for bookstores on Google or Unilocal,and this added to the feeling that we, as tourists, had stumbled upon some wonderful hidden gem.

Every time I go to Pike Place Market I come away pixie-​dusted from some small but magical new discovery. A flavored salt that transforms my cooking for months, a potent bag of Spanish star anise, a tiny, beloved teapot, an old ruble from the coin shop for my kid. And then there’s that awe-​inspiring vintage photograph of a smoldering female snake charmer enchanting a cobra… while the boy who will later become her husband looks on from the corner of the frame, even more enraptured by her than the snake (that’s at the bead shop just down the hall-​ask to see it!).
And this last time, there was BLMF, nestled three levels below the boisterous braggadocio of the fish-​tossing dockhands and the world’s most photographed pig. Shoulder your way into the tight rows of beckoning books and even more beckoning old R&B (who was it that was playing? I should have asked; it was marvelous). The space isn’t all that large, so the owner’s forsaken quantity for quality. The collection’s well curated.
Anyone searching for a five-​finger discount will be preemptively chastened by one of the most hilariously awful fucking acrylic paintings I’ve ever seen. Worth the visit.
The owner and I chatted about our mutual incomprehension at the longevity of zombie-themed…everything (he has recommendations he feels transcend the genre-​just ask!). He will give you guidance if you ask, but I noticed he did not intrude on conversations taking place nearby to offer his suggestions. I’m not the type to mind that, but I think restraint is cool. You know… for other people. Not for me.
We picked up some Frank Miller for the road. The prices are fair across the board, the owner’s great, and you can’t beat the lovely descent down wooden stairs, from bustling cacophony into sweet, softly swirling blues and the familiar, reassuring company of great books.

BLMF Literary Saloon is hands down one of the very best bookstores in Seattle.
It’s placed in the heart of the underground portion of the Pike Place Market (3^rd floor down) and the store owner strategically has many of the Beats facing outward, just calling you in. Books are stacked high, and the store gives little room to wiggle. Can’t quite find what you’re looking for? Just ask! Because the man behind the counter knows exactly where your title is, AND he can suggest your next favorite read!
Not a fan of the Beats? More a 50 Shades of Grey? Well you can find that here too. Do you prefer comics and graphic novels? Well then you better run down to BLMF because he has you covered!
Time and time again I have come back to BLMF Literary Saloon and I am never disappointed. In fact, I am constantly wowed at the selection and the fair prices that are attached to the books.
If you haven’t yet ventured to BLMF, now is the time!

What a great used bookstore! It’s located downstairs in Pike Place, and it has enough books to make for a good browsing experience, but not too many books where it feels extremely overwhelming. Prices are reasonable — half off or more on the cover price.
I didn’t speak to the owner, but he seemed nice enough. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular so I didn’t ask.
I managed to find The Black Swan in a decent condition for $ 9.95 and Ender’s Game (paperback) for $ 3.50. Sweet.

I just love this place.
First of all, you can’t get into the place without the dude (owner?) asking if he can help find anything. He’s very attentive.
Then, after wandering the wonderful stacks and stacks of books, when I cave in and ask for his help, he’s enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Yesterday, I barely got an author’s name out of my mouth before he started removing books from a stack on the front desk, only to reveal the precise book I was seeking.
A finer used bookstore you will not need when visiting downtown Seattle. Go browse and be happy.

I can never pass up a used bookstore. There’s always a book I need, a collection filler, etc. And I love buying used.
Popped into this cute little store. Packed to the gills with books, feels just like my living room.
The very nice gentleman asked me immediately if he could help me find anything. Just browsing, at first, but then I remembered – there was a Russian American author I was interested in checking out.
I gave him a partial title of a book – he knew the author immediately. It was Gary Shteyngart! It rolled right out of him as if he’d just finished this guy’s book last night. He even knew what he’d have in stock. Pretty impressive in my world.
If you’re in Seattle and you venture to Pike Place Market, be sure to support a small business owner and buy a book. You know there’s something you’ve been wanting to read…

I was heading for the record store and the selection of vintage sci-​fi books in the window here caught my eye. I stepped inside, and the proprietor asked if he could help me find anything. «Do you have any old Conan books?» He pointed at a mighty stack of Conan novels and I immediately descended upon it — there were a glorious number of Frazetta covered novels from the 70’s and I bought nearly every book he had. I was drunk with Robert E. Howard glee, but I did manage to stumble around the store and find there is a fantastic selection of sci-​fi, fantasy, and stuff that is generally pleasing to the nerd sensibility. Highly recommended if you’re the type of person that pulls the waistband of your underpants up to your navel. The only bad part is that when you add in all the money I spend at the vinyl store across the way and Golden Age upstairs, I will soon be broke.

This used bookstore is a surprising gem in the market, it’s packed to the brim yet there is a sense that books were selected to be part of the whole.
Very friendly owner indeed.
Used bookstores don’t get any better, and this small one punches above its weight.

As a person who used to work downtown, and a lover of the market, I frequently took the «bowels» of the market for granted. I would pop down to grab lunch, flowers, vegetables, and meat or seafood at street level. Destination only, please, and avoid-​the-​tourists-​at-​all-​costs type of visits.
Last week, I took 4 amazing nieces and one of their also amazing friends to the market we spent about 4 hours there with the plan to do the whole tourist market thing. I am thankful that we spent a lot of time in this store.
The owner was somewhat reserved at first (hmmm, 5 teenagers in a store… I would have been too!). But he warmed up. I think a couple of the girls could have spent the rest of the day there. I only bought one book, because I am in the process of trying to find space for all of the ones I already have (once I figured out what the name of the store stands for, I could relate). My group of high level reading teens found more than they could decide on.
Do not be overwhelmed by the stacks. He knows exactly where everything is, and will help you move the vertical stacks if you need it. Prices were very reasonable. Newer editions were roughly ½ off ticket. Rarer/​vintage books were not overpriced.
It will be a definite stop on any trip back to the city again. Well worth a trip to the quiet 3^rd floor down.

I decided to join the Unilocal book club so of course BLMF is the place to go. This is how it went: My bf and I walk in, store owner asks me what I’m looking for, I give him the title, he turns, walks about six feet away, quickly scans the shelf and returns with the book within 30 seconds. No lie! When I tell him it’s for a book club, he goes back to the shelf and makes sure to bring the one remaining book of the same title to the counter in case one of you decide to come get it. That, my friends is service!
Go get that book! He’s moving his inventory to the space next door to his current space beginning Monday. It’ll be a cooler space, I’m sure! More windows.

One day, ten years ago, I wandered into BLMF and picked up a Ken Kesey book. The owner said, «Hey, you’ve got some good taste! Here’s something else you might enjoy…» and handed me another great find.
For years I returned about once a month. I didn’t even need to look at the shelves — JB would just hand me something great, something that would change my view of life and something that would send me on a new path. JB kept feeding me books.
One day, years later, JB was walking down Broadway and heard someone say, «Look! There’s Lele’s book guy!» which made him smile.
I was thinking today that I have not read anything good in quite some time, and I realized that was because I have not made my way to the market lately. So, I’ll be seeing you soon, BLMF.
xoxo

packed with great books with great prices. ask for a recommendation if you can’t find what you’re looking for.

The books were motherf***ing tall, piled on high like skyscrapers. The owner told us he had it that way because it was cheaper, but rest assured that the owner made no sacrifice in his selection or his prices. If you end up in touristy Pike Place Market, go a few floors down and check this space out. You will be glad that you did.