SCIBSW: Wit's End Books - Stanwood

April 24, 2024 — Brand Spotlight, Personal Branding

This store was so full of nooks and crannies at every turn…

...it was such a surprise around every corner!

The variation of this store was also very impressive! Crystals, toys, anime, graphic novels, essential oils, crochet kits, cat toys, socks….I could go on. It has a little bit of everything!

Day 4 of the Snohomish County Indie Bookstore Week is done!

Branding Color Palette

I noticed 3-4 main colors throughout the platforms: A mossy green, black, and brown. I do love the consistency! The one thing I am unsure of is how it connects to their business name, their history, or anything about the business. I am also really curious about the duck in a coffee cup that is their logo. To me, it doesn’t fit their store at all - BUT - I also don’t know the story behind it. I would love to know if it’s a family painting, one done by an owner or customer, or how it connects to the store itself.

Bright retail counter with display case and merchandise at independent bookstore.

Collection of colorful healing crystals and stones displayed on blue cloth at retail shop.

Branding typography

I only noticed two fonts on their website - a serif and sans serif, but the serif font does match perfectly to their storefront font! I would love to see more of a logo and noticeable typography throughout their platforms.

Retail shelving display filled with anime and pop culture plush toys and collectibles.

Bookstore interior with white shelving and red folding chairs arranged in a row.

Cohesive branding

I am impressed with the consistency in branding, despite a lack of strong branding. They have the same header photo for all events, website, and social media and the same really cool and quirky painting of a duck as their “logo.” I am unsure what exactly their logo is though… It would be really cool to combine the text and painting into an actual logo design that is easier recognizable. I would enjoy seeing more on social media - it seems the facebook page is more active than their instagram, but both are not as full as I would have liked to see. It seems that they have separate Facebook pages for their Stanwood and Marysville stores, but they share the same Instagram account. The website is also very sparse - there isn’t much information on there at all. I would love to know a lot more about who started the store, who runs it, why, and what they have there. I am sure that more solid branding and adding in some personal branding photography would boost that a bit more and engage more folks.

Shopping counter at a specialty retail store with a cash register and display cases.

Harry Potter themed merchandise basket featuring Hogwarts pillow and socks on a wooden chair.

Personal Branding

There is one element that stands out to me - a photo of the Stanwood storefront with (I assume) the owner’s kids in front. I immediately LOVED this! That small detail is exactly what brings people together. For me, my first thought was “Hey! They have four kids too!”. What a beautiful connection! I would love to see photos of all the owners and employees at this location. I would love to see more photos on social media. I would love to see clients and customers connecting with the owners and their family both in person and online.

I would love to help Wit’s End (Stanwood and Marysville) with both branding elements and photography!

Tomorrow’s feature will be their additional location in Marysville….

Cute plush animal characters displayed on red shelf in a retail store.

Colorful dragon figurines arranged on wooden surface.

Bowl filled with assorted decorative gemstones and crystals for sale.

Final Thoughts

This was such a fun store to look around! So much adventure at every turn, so much to look at, I didn’t know what to focus on. I now know where to get a Tamagotchi in person, sword pens, and crochet kids for my kids!