University Book Store's DiMartino: 'Quietly Awesome'

Nick DiMartino (via)

University Book Store's branch in the Husky Union Building at the center of the school's Seattle campus has many things going for it, but "the reason this store is great is because of one guy: Nick DiMartino," the Stranger reported.

"I am doing everything I can to keep literature alive on campus," DiMartino said. "That's my real mission."

Noting the bookshop's selection "is thoughtful and engaging," the Stranger highlighted Nick's Picks, where each month DiMartino "adds to the section whatever he thinks is the 'best new book of the month.' " Nick's Picks also has its own book club.

DiMartino started working for University Book Store in 1970, after he graduated from UW. "I've been here long enough that I remember a lovely young Japanese gal came in and told me that I had introduced her mother to her father," he said.

He has also written 18 books. The Stranger noted: "Listening to how much writing and reading DiMartino packs into a single day started to make me feel like I was wasting my life. Two book clubs, plus writing 18 books of his own, plus running a bookstore? This guy is amazing."

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