PubWest has named Chuck and Dee Robinson, owners of Village Books in Bellingham and Lynden, Wash., recipients of the 2017 Jack D. Rittenhouse Award.
The Robinsons opened the first Village Books in Bellingham, Wash. in 1980, and both actively worked in the store—often on the sales floor—until Dee semi-retired in 2014. The second store, in Lynden, opened in 2015. Both Robinsons have served on the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association board, and have taught at American Booksellers Association booksellers schools.On November 21, the Robinsons announced that they are selling the store to three employees.
Established in 1990, the Rittenhouse Award honors those who have made a major contribution to the book community of the western United States. The Robinsons will accept the award during the PubWest 2017 Conference, to be held February 9-11, 2017, at the Benson Hotel in Portland, Ore.
