In 2017, couple Molly Parent and Stephen Sparks took over beloved bookstore Point Reyes Books from the previous owners. After six years of successful business, they decided to open a new bookstore, Wayfinder Bookshop, at 9 Bolinas Road in downtown Fairfax.
Wayfinder Bookshop will still be connected to Point Reyes Books in the sense that customers can order books from one store and pick them up at another. Along with this, Parent and Sparks look forward to opening their own bookstore as well as continuing the business of Point Reyes Books.
“We are excited to be starting a new bookstore, and continuing on the legacy of Point Reyes Books. It’s exciting to try something new and see what works and see what books people are excited about,” Parent said.
Parent and Stephens live in San Rafael, but have been commuting to Point Reyes since they took over the bookstore. To them, a new shop in Fairfax will bring their passion closer to their home community.
“We’re looking forward to having a space in a new community that’s also close to home for us… Fairfax is a place where we spend a lot of time as a family, so we’re looking forward to really getting to know that community and seeing some of the customers we see out in Point Reyes, since some of them will be our neighbors now,” Parent said.
Archie Williams student Zoë Dombrosky is part of the Fairfax community. She looks forward to having access to a local bookstore as a place where she can spend time with friends.
“[Going to the bookstore is] a fun activity to do with your friends to window shop or find new authors and books you like,” Zoë said. “I think it’ll bring the community together more.”
Zoë is excited to explore new books at Wayfinder Bookshop, as she finds value in a hardcover book compared to other alternatives like audiobooks and kindles.
“It’s a good way to give your mind a rest while at the same time you’re kind of giving yourself emotional rest. You’re doing something good for you, and you’re getting invested in the story, and you can kind of hear the story the way you want to hear it if you read it yourself, rather than hearing somebody else’s voice read it to you,” Zoë said.
Parent and Sparks expect their shop to open the first week of November. It is located between The Herban Garden and The Eleventh House in downtown Fairfax.
