POULSBO — Six months ago, the Book Stop faced going out of business.

On May 26, noon to 5:30 p.m., it celebrates its 30th anniversary.

“In this area, it’s great. Poulsbo has a lot of readers,” new owner Charlie Wise said of brick-and-mortar bookstores. Poulsbo “has the best downtown for walking around in [and] people come from all over the world.”

Wise said he’ll have a picture display of the store’s history at the anniversary party. The celebration will include children’s crafts, including paperbag puppets and wands (for Harry Potter fans), and cookies and tea from the Sugar and Spice Company. Folk duo Hank & Claire will perform from 1-3 p.m. Nearly all books will be 20 percent off.

“We’re going to have a good time for having been in downtown Poulsbo for 30 years now,” Wise said.

He said he is amazed by the community support he’s received.

Wise was a part-time employee of the Book Stop when its last owner, Soon Hood, died in August. Her children put it up for sale, but with no bids, the store was set to close last fall. Wise stepped up; it was a dream of his to own a bookstore.

Megan Holmberg opened the Book Stop in 1983 in the Blue Sky Printing building. She moved it to its current location on Front Street a few years later. Holmberg sold the store to Hood in 2004; Hood was also an employee who wanted to see the business continue.

Hood expanded the business and helped research and publish “The Spirit of Poulsbo” with the Poulsbo Historical Society.

Wise said he feels business has increased, and he is “positioning” the store as the bibliophile’s bookstore, the book lovers book store. He’s always on the look out for off-beat authors and books, creating an atmosphere for people to just come in, hang out and explore.