In less than six months, Julie Thomas has made a dream come true for both her and the Snoqualmie Valley community: a place to gather, read, sip and, most importantly, talk books.
At Books and Bottles, Thomas has curated collections of wine, children’s books and adult books of various genres. Her shop is a small but mighty 900 square feet in which every inch counts. In addition to wine and books, she sells reading accessories, gifts, coloring books and more. She hosts monthly book clubs and quarterly wine clubs.
The shop officially opened July 17 and has already made an impact. At a ribbon-cutting event Nov. 14, dozens of people packed into the shop to celebrate.
As much as the community has enjoyed having a new bookstore, Thomas has enjoyed providing it.
“It’s been so fun,” she said. “It fuels me, even on the days that I’m exhausted.”
Last year, Thomas left a 17-year career with Nordstrom, where she worked as a buyer. She’s used to always being on the hunt for good inventory, but, she said, the book world moves a lot faster than what she’s used to — new books come out every week and orders arrive in as little as two days.
Thomas said she looks everywhere for new stock recommendations, from the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association to curated publisher lists and even “BookTok,” the book-obsessed side of the social media app TikTok.
“I just kind of try to keep my ears open,” she said. “If there’s things that customers are suggesting for sure and frequently asking for, too, we’re like, hey, sounds like an author we should order.”
If Books and Bottles doesn’t have what a customer is looking for, Thomas is happy to special order a single copy to the shop.
Thomas orders most of her books from Ingram, a large book distributor with a facility in Oregon. Thomas especially loves that Ingram provides booksellers with data on how much they’ve invested in a particular book.
“If they’ve ordered 100 units, I’m like, meh, not a big deal, I’m not missing out if I don’t order that one,” she said. “But if they’ve ordered like 5,000, I’m like, all right, I’m ordering that book.”
Books and Bottles, Sept. 9, 2025.
Thomas said she bets that Books and Bottles has around 3,000 different books for sale at any given time.
“[It’s] a lot to pack in, but it’s really cool because with the vendors, we just get new stuff all throughout the week, which makes it so easy for an indie bookstore to function,” she said.
The store can also fit up to 1,000 bottles of wine, Thomas said, and currently has over 150 varieties. She uses six different regional distributors, each providing different wines based on their personal speciality.
“There’s one of my vendors who only does imports, so I really go to him when I want premier cru special items, specifically from like France or Italy or something like that, because I know that they’ll have some of the best,” she said. “And then … my pinot noirs really come from another area. So there’s just a lot of different ways. I just know who I have to go to to get things filled.”
Though Thomas loves wine, she is not a sommelier, and said she has been learning about wine alongside the customers that come in for tastings, which are available daily.
Books and Bottles uses wine-dispensing machines that control how much wine customers can get per day for a tasting. The store’s liquor license allows up to 10 ounces of wine per customer per day. When a customer purchases a tasting, they get a key card that is then scanned on the machine for each pour. The card tracks how many ounces the customer has had and stops after 10 ounces.
Each pour can be either one or two ounces. If a customer really likes a wine, they can get more pours of it, or they can try multiple wines. There are eight varieties available, which Thomas rotates every few weeks, with an emphasis on the season.
On the book side, Thomas said she’s been surprised to see which genres fly off the shelves as opposed to others. Classic mystery authors like James Patterson and Stephen King are available at Books and Bottles, but customers prefer authors like Freida McFadden and Ruth Ware instead.
The fantasy genre has also been popular, and the shop’s large romantic comedy section is a favorite.
Books and Bottles is even a great hang-out spot for those who don’t consider themselves avid readers, Thomas said, noting that nothing gets a person out of a reading slump like hearing someone else rave about a book.
“You want to come in and talk books? I will be here for you, and so will the staff,” she said. “Everyone here loves to talk books.”
The Books and Bottles romance section, Sept. 9, 2025. The shop curates collections across genres. (Grace Gorenflo/Valley Record)
Check it out
Books and Bottles is open Monday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 8130 Railroad Ave., #102, Snoqualmie.
Books and Bottles hosts book clubs monthly and offers four options: original book club, mystery/thriller book club, adventure/fantasy book club and a children’s book club. Club events are a one-time commitment. Those interested can sign up at booksandbottlespnw.com/book-clubs.
Books and Bottles also has two different wine clubs, each offering members six to 12 new bottles of wine quarterly. The Collector’s Club, marketed for wine enthusiasts, includes bottles that average $50 in price. The Weekday Wine Club includes bottles that average $25 in price and are for “everyday sipping.” For more information, visit booksandbottlespnw.com/wine-clubs.
Owner Julie Thomas’s daughter celebrates the Books and Bottles ribbon cutting with streamers on her head, Nov. 14, 2025. Photos by Grace Gorenflo/Valley Record
Julie Thomas, owner of Books and Bottles, Sept. 9, 2025. (Grace Gorenflo/Valley Record)
Guests sign the ribbon at the ribbon-cutting event of Books and Bottles, Nov. 14, 2025. (Grace Gorenflo/Valley Record)
