Book Stores in Bellevue, WA

In 1972, we opened our 1st store in a converted laundromat in Dallas, Texas. Co-founders Ken Gjemre and Pat Anderson stocked the store with more than 2, 000 books from their individual libraries. Half Price Books was created with the idea of providing a great product at a great price. And it worked!

Our goal is to publish kids's books that Inspire the Mind, Touch the Heart, and Uplift the Spirit. At the time Illumination Arts was set up in 1987, we intended to specialize in adult metaphysical titles. In 1988, when Chara Curtis and Cynthia Aldrich presented John Thompson with a kids's picture book