There is a change in ownership happening at the Imprint Bookstore in downtown Port Townsend. 

Samantha Ladwig and Thom Nienow bought the bookshop in October 2019 from Anna and Peter Quinn, who’d run it since 2008, with the plan of giving it their all for five years, then deciding whether to continue.

“It was around May or June of this year that we realized we’d hit that five-year mark,” Ladwig said. “We came to the conclusion that the bookstore was in a good place for us to pass it on.”

Ladwig had worked at Imprint before she became a co-owner, and admits she’ll miss selling books. But intervening circumstances such as the COVID pandemic helped her decide that she’d like to pursue other passions, such as teaching writing at Hugo House in Seattle.

In the meantime, Ladwig has enjoyed introducing the bookstore’s patrons to works of writing they may not have encountered, especially when those works have awakened or expanded those readers’ interests.

Ladwig expressed enthusiasm for Imprint’s incoming co-owners, John Blomgren and Garrett Jones, who moved to Port Townsend from Portland, Oregon, in April 2023, and who are set to assume ownership of the bookstore Nov. 1. Blomgren and Jones have been a couple for 18 years.

“We weren’t looking to sell right away,” Ladwig said. “We sold to John and Garrett because they seemed like a great fit.”

Ladwig said they had more than 100 inquiries about buying Imprint, from folks as far away as Long Island and Los Angeles.

”I think the bookstore will thrive with these two, and I’m sure they’ll make great connections within the community.”

Blomgren has been familiar with Imprint since it was first established at 820 Water St. in 1981, given that he graduated from North Kitsap High School in 1995. He considers his move to Port Townsend to be something of a homecoming.

“I’ve loved introducing Garrett to the Salish Sea area,” Blomgren said. “We’ve long loved visiting the Olympic Peninsula, and since we’re both avid readers, we’ve always sought out local independent bookstores. We fell in love with Imprint for its selection, and we connected with Sam shortly after we moved here.”

Back in Portland, Jones started the Back to Eden Bakery in 2007 with Blomgren as his partner, moving from working out of a garage to expanding into a brick-and-mortar cafe and a food cart.

As much as they’d enjoyed their bakery, with Blomgren handling the business operations while Jones developed recipes as the culinary mastermind, COVID closed Back to Eden’s doors. That left Blomgren redirecting his managerial skills to work for biotech firms fighting the pandemic.

What both Blomgren and Jones hope for Imprint echoes what Ladwig most enjoyed about it.

“We want to provide that positive, memorable experience for people, and to be part of the local business community, in a different way than we were as part of the food and beverage industry,” Blomgren said. “When you can put a good book into someone’s hands, it can leave a lasting impact on them.”

Blomgren has studiously educated himself on bookselling, and aims to increase Imprint’s inventory by improving the space’s functionality in ways that he hopes will also enhance its aesthetics.

“I’d like to lean into its historic aspect,” Blomgen said. “I’ve been researching and corresponding with other professionals in this industry, and contrary to many people’s perceptions, this is actually quite an exciting time to become an independent bookseller.”

Although Amazon is often invoked as a competitor to local booksellers, Blomgren believes Imprint serves a different audience. Providing an experience that online shopping simply can’t leaves him optimistic about the direction of business in downtown Port Townsend in general.

“There’s a really renewed energy lately,” Blomgren said. “There’s a lot of movement on the street.”