New possibilities in Wallingford
While the Annex will enhance Magus's connection to the Seattle community, it won't function at the exact same level as the original location, McElroy explained. "This is a much smaller footprint than the store in the U District — that store will still sort of be the engine of it all."

Beyond the size difference, McElroy also explained that she anticipates engaging with a new demographic in Wallingford. "The community has a different demographic than the U District, so I think that we'll still see some of our same customers, but I think we'll gain a lot of new customers too," she said. She expects a more family-oriented customer base than they currently see on the Ave.

While she and the rest of the Magus team look forward to the Annex opening, McElroy also explained that it's an open-ended venture with several different possibilities. Depending on foot traffic and sales, the team might need to add a few members.

In addition, she's also excited to see how the new space and scope of the business will allow for further genre exploration and collection. "The other Magus has been there for so long, and it's really its own sort of entity," she said. "To do something from scratch like this is different than what we've done before."

The Annex will allow Magus to explore more collections and specific niches that weren't possible with the previous space limitations. Having two locations will undoubtedly open up a lot of possibilities for the store. "We just don't have enough room on the shelves in the U District for all these great books," McElroy explained. "This store will also provide us with extra space for these collections, so it will very much be a moving inventory."

Spooky season at Magus
While the bookstore doesn't typically throw events or parties, the Magus team still loves to find small ways to celebrate upcoming holidays like Halloween, Christmas, and New Year's. Windows at the University District location are currently dressed up for Halloween, and readers can easily get suggestions on relevant titles if they want an extra nudge in the spooky direction.

"We try to remind people to read their Edgar Allan Poe at Halloween or maybe pull out Dickens at Christmas," McElroy said. "We try to pull books for different holidays or events."

Excitement for the future
The Magus team looks forward to joining the Wallingford neighborhood and setting down more roots.

"The one thing I want to make sure people know is that, even though this store is going to be smaller, we are still going to have really different inventory at both stores, and we hope that customers will shop at both places," McElroy concluded. "They will find things at the Annex that they won't find at our other store and vice versa."

The Annex will also be open to requests from customers and will be able to move titles from the U District to the new location the next day for those who might not be able to visit both stores in person.

While the new Annex will certainly take some time to settle into its space, the transition marks a new beginning for both the business and Seattle. Whether you are looking to offload some old books or browse the shelves for something new, Magus is the place to go.