About Us

Welcome to Third Place Books

Main Entrance of Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park

Third Place Books is a general interestbookstore with over 200,000 New, Used, and Bargain Books. Third Place books is the deliberate and intentional creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. It is a fun, comfortable, and safe place to browse, linger, lounge, relax, read,eat, laugh, play, talk, listen, and just watch the world go by. We have two locations in the Seattle area, one in Lake Forest Park, and the other in Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood.

Why Third Place?

Sociologist Ray Oldenberg suggests that each of us needs three places: first is the home; second is the workplace or school; and beyond lies the place where people from all walks of life interact, experiencing and celebrating their commonality as well as their diversity. It is a third place. In his celebrated book, The Great Good Place,Oldenberg discusses how the cafes, pubs, town squares and othergathering places make a community stronger and bring people together.

A Public Commons

With a large public commons, five restaurants, free wireless internet, a community room, a stage, and over one thousand free public events every year, Third Place Books has something for everyone. Whether you need to study, host a community meeting, or get out of the house for the evening, we hope you will make this your third place.

Events and the public area within Third Place Books is managed by a community organization, Friends of Third Place Commons, and supported by Third Place Books, the City of Lake Forest Park, and the merchants and management of Lake Forest Parke Towne Centre. For more information about this group or to schedule a community event, please visit the Friends of Third Place Commons web site

Getting Here

Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park is located inside Lake Forest Park Towne Centre at 17171 Bothell Way NE. Click here for directions and a map to our store in Lake Forest Park. If you're looking for Ravenna Third Place Books and Vios Cafe in Seattle please visit our Ravenna Third Place Books web site.

Careers at Third Place Books

Third Place Books is always accepting applications for enthusiastic booksellers, please visit our employment page for details.

And yes, as a matter of fact, we do have copies of Ray's book in thestore. Come visit and we'd be happy to show you where it is, along with other great books on building community.