Five decades of preserving Seattle's history, one piece of paper at a time!
In an increasingly digital age where media, literature, and artwork live in the hands and pockets of just about everyone, a deep-rooted appreciation for analog media, physical reminders of the past, remains steadfast in our society.
One of Pike Place Market’s legacy businesses, Old Seattle Paperworks, is dedicated to maintaining an archive of ephemera – printed materials – for generations to come. This haven for collectors, history buffs, and art lovers is marking 50 years as one of Seattle’s most remarkable cultural spaces and as a reminder of the value of physical media.
Founded in 1976 by lifelong collector John Hanawalt, the shop evolved from a downtown used bookstore into Seattle’s, and potentially the Pacific Northwest’s, first specialist in paper ephemera. Postcards, posters, newspapers, and other printed materials that were never meant to last — but somehow did – are considered ephemera or “paperwork” as Hanawalt calls them.
After being displaced by downtown redevelopment, Old Seattle Paperworks found a permanent home in Pike Place Market’s Down Under in 1978 – a fitting home for a business that was largely shaped by the same preservationist ethos that saved the Market itself.
From unique concert posters featuring Seattle’s iconic bands, to maps dating back to the late 1800s, to detailed botanical and anatomical prints, this business offers pieces of history and moments in time sure to catch any eye.
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Not only has the business survived and thrived for over 50 years — its cozy space often crammed shoulder to shoulder with print perusers, tourists, and locals alike — but it has remained under the same ownership throughout its tenure. Today, John and his wife Amy steward Old Seattle Paperwork’s functions as part archive, part art space. Their shop is a densely visual environment where Seattle’s music, politics, design, and mementos of the past unfold through paper.
Next time you find yourself wanting to take a walk down memory lane or to learn more about Seattle’s quirky history, stop by Old Seattle Paperworks!