King's Books

King's Books is downtown Tacoma's independent bookstore, tucked on St Helens Avenue a couple of blocks off Broadway and the Theater District, and it functions as much as a community room as a shop. New and used titles share the shelves, and the store runs a steady programme of in-store events — book clubs, author readings and Tacoma Zine Fest among them — which is the reason to check what is on before you visit rather than treating it as a straight browse. Practically, it is the most reliable downtown stop on a rainy afternoon: it opens seven days a week on the same 11am to 7pm schedule, later than the museums close, so it slots neatly after a Pacific Avenue museum morning and before dinner on Broadway. Orders and holds can be arranged by phone or email.

Verified details

Only facts we have checked against a named source inside their freshness window appear here. Anything that lapses disappears rather than going stale.

What to know

• The shop carries both new and used stock on the same shelves.
• kingsbooks.com now redirects to kingsbookstore.com; use the latter for events and orders.

Editor's tips

• Check the events calendar before you go — the store hosts readings and book clubs on a regular cadence.
• It stays open until 7pm, later than the downtown museums, so it works as an after-museum stop.