First independent bookstore in Liberty Lake to open Saturday

Nathan and Stephanie Hansen each read 60 to 100 books every year.

The couple's love of books has brought them to a new career as owners of Liberty Lake's first independent book store, which opens Saturday.

They hope Paragraphs and Pages, 21801 E. Indiana Ave., will serve as a home for the city's literary fan base.

"The literary community is just so great," said Nathan Hansen, who spent the last nine years working as an information specialist for the Community Library Network in North Idaho. "They're a welcoming community, accepting. They're always looking to improve the communities they live in."

So far, the couple plans to have two recurring book clubs. Fresh Off the Shelf will read new fiction titles, and For Real will read new nonfiction books. They may add more specialized clubs after opening and learning the needs of the community, he said.

He also wants the store to feel like an inviting, nonjudgmental space for new readers to explore.

"Every reader has an entry point, and we're here to help them find where that entry point is," Nathan Hansen said.

The book store is cozy, with dark and moody walls, bright lighting, wooden bookshelves and a faux fireplace. The Hansens worked with an interior designer to plan the store's layout, and Nathan Hansen built the bookcases himself.

Paragraphs and Pages has more than 4,500 different titles, and although it's not a specialty book store, the store has a bookshelf in the back dedicated to its horror section, a special edition made at the request of horror fan Stephanie Hansen.

"I feel like whenever I go into indie book stores, there's not a lot of horror books," she said. "So I want to have a lot of horror."

Also displayed within the shop are trinkets. Many, such as the planners and recipe cards from TW Designs, are from local vendors. The Hansens hope to bring in more trinkets from Eastern Washington creators.

An important part of Paragraphs and Pages is hosting events and community involvement, and they plan to hit the ground running with three local authors visiting on opening day Saturday.

Tamara Berry, who writes romance and mystery novels under the pen name Lucy Gilmore, will sign books at noon. Children's author Susan Mackenzie will host a story time and book signing at 2 p.m., and young adult author Lora Senf will sign books at 3:30 p.m.

More author events are scheduled through the end of the year, and they hope to work with other independent book stores throughout the Inland Northwest on literary events.

Paragraph and Pages will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 8:07 AM.