William D. Farley, the founder of Seattle Mystery Bookshop in Seattle, Wash., died on Sunday, June 28, just days before the bookstore will celebrate its 25th anniversary. He was 83.
Farley opened the bookstore in the summer of 1990 with his wife, B Jo Farley. The couple relocated from Philadelphia to open the store after Edgar Award-winning author Aaron Elkins told Farley that Seattle needed a mystery bookstore.
Prior to opening Seattle Mystery Bookshop, Farley and his wife owned a small general bookstore in Kalamazoo, Mich. He also worked in Philadelphia for the now-closed Whodunit? mystery bookstore.
In January 1999, Farley “retired” and sold the Seattle bookshop to manager JB Dickey, but Farley continued to come in a few days a week.
