Tacoma Book Center Will Celebrate 40 Years of Business
The Dome District bookstore plans to mark four decades of operation in the community in 2027.
Updated on Oct. 2, 2026 in Local Shops
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The Tacoma Book Center will celebrate 40 years of business in 2027. Located in the Dome District, the bookstore maintains an inventory of approximately 500,000 titles.
Why it matters
The store serves as a major repository of books in Tacoma and has managed to sustain operations by adapting to new revenue streams like selling inventory to AI firms for training models. Owner James David Killian notes that high rent and rising inventory costs make starting similar bookstores challenging in the current market.
The bookstore operates out of a historic 1912 building at 324 E. 26th St. in Tacoma, housing a collection that includes volumes dating back to at least 1896.
The players
James David Killian
James David Killian is the co-owner of the Tacoma Book Center who purchased the store building in the late 1980s.
Tacoma Book Center
The Tacoma Book Center is a long-standing independent bookstore located in the Dome District of Tacoma.
The details
Operating seven days a week, the store uses a spatial map of its retail floor to track books by author and genre. Recent sales growth has been attributed to partnerships with AI companies that purchase books for digital scanning and training purposes.
Timeline
The bookstore building was originally constructed in 1912.
Owner James David Killian purchased the building in the late 1980s.
The bookstore is expected to celebrate 40 years of business in 2027.
Culture Shift
The Tacoma Book Center reflects a shift where traditional retailers are finding new viability by catering to the data-hungry AI industry. By acting as a physical database, the store survives while others struggle with the rising costs of traditional retail and warehouse space.
Residents and collectors can continue to browse the expansive 500,000-title inventory at the Dome District location seven days a week. The store's ongoing operations ensure that the physical archives remain accessible for public discovery and research within the community.
The takeaway
Maintaining a massive physical inventory requires both space and careful organizational systems to remain sustainable. Readers can support local retailers by prioritizing visits to historic, independently owned shops that anchor their neighborhoods.
Further reading
Discover more about the local retail landscape in our Local Shops section.
More information
Browse the current inventory available for purchase through the AbeBooks store catalog.
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Do you believe it is important to support independent local bookstores in your community?
