Cozy new bookstore with a curious name opens in SLO County

If you saw a shop sign that read “Salty Pages,” what would you expect to find there?

Owner Julie Saunders told The Tribune that she and Matt Saunders, her husband and silent partner, were drawn to the creatively eccentric name because they wanted to appeal to her clientele’s fascination with both books and the nearby ocean, along with their sense of curiosity about what the store sells.

Then they wrapped it all up in a cozy, community-gathering space.

After weeks of mulling over other names for the business, “Matt came up with Salty Pages on the spur of the moment, as I was heading out the door. It grew on me, and I love it,” the book-loving Julie Saunders said.

On April 4, the shop will hold “a casual, welcoming gathering to celebrate the opening of Salty Pages with friends, family and the community. We’ll have light refreshments throughout the day, and we’re really looking forward to meeting people, introducing them to the shop and celebrating this new chapter together,” she said.

Shoppers are always welcome to bring a beverage or snack with them into the store, maybe from the nearby Lily’s Coffee House, she said, and their dogs are welcome, too.

Salty Pages’ location was familiar turf for owner

When Saunders decided to open her new Cambria bookstore in the indoor-outdoor space at 2024 Main St., she already knew the location well. It’s alongside a couple of other shops in the back of a small complex anchored between two well-patronized businesses, the Garden Shed and Lily’s.

She’d been working there for six years in the site’s former iteration as the Simplistic Home store, which specialized in repurposed, vintage and reused items.

Now, Salty Pages’ shoppers will find a “thoughtfully curated collection of contemporary fiction, speculative and literary titles, emerging voices, beautifully designed journals and stationery, artisan jewelry and unique, literary-themed gifts,” according to a news release.

“It has everything I love together,” the self-acknowledged paper junkie said of her shop. “I’m a sucker for stationery, notepads … things like that.”

What Saunders wanted to offer at Salty Pages

Working at and later managing the Simplistic Home shop “helped shape my vision for creating a welcoming, thoughtfully curated retail environment of my own,” the Latina entrepreneur said.

“I realized how meaningful it is to create a place where people can slow down, browse and connect. As our kids grew older and became more independent, I felt ready to take that next step and build something of my own. Something centered around books, creativity and community,” Saunders said.

She envisions Salty Pages as a personal, warm space where stories from many voices and perspectives can be discovered, blended and shared.

Saunders hopes customers will believe she succeeded and come in often to browse, slow down and reconnect with the joy of books in her compact coastal bookstore.

Who are the Salty Pages co-owners?

California born-and-raised, the couple met while attending a small design school in Long Beach, where they started their family of three children.

“After many visits to San Luis Obispo County and Cambria, Matt was offered a full-time remote role with a Bay Area company,” Julie Saunders said. The firm was Cisco Systems, where he was already a community manager.

“That opportunity gave us the flexibility to live anywhere, and we jumped at the chance to leave city life behind and make Cambria our home,” she said.

“We were first drawn to Cambria through visits to the Central Coast over the years, and quickly fell in love with its natural beauty, slower pace and strong sense of community. By 2014, we knew it was the right place for our family to put down roots,” she said.

“Since then, our children have grown up in Cambria and have attended the local schools. And now that two of my three children are off to college, this has allowed me to finally pursue my long-held dream of opening my own shop,” Saunders said.

The Saunders offspring are Chryssi, 25, who’s pursuing a certification to also work at Cisco; Robert, 20, who’s at Cal Poly; and Lorelai, 19, who attends college in Santa Rosa.

What will you find at Salty Pages?

The store’s stock is as eclectic as its name, but much of it involves paper.

Salty Pages is stocking 250 to 300 books now, but its owner hopes to increase that soon, based on customer requests and as they build their connections to the North Coast’s plentiful assortment of local authors and poets.

The shop’s mix currently includes contemporary fiction, nonfiction, children’s and young adult books and classics, along with a growing selection of science fiction, fantasy and poetry.

And what does the owner like to read?

“I’ve always loved classics and contemporary fiction. Authors like Julia Alvarez have been especially meaningful to me. Her novels, including ‘In the Time of the Butterflies’ and ‘Afterlife’ are among favorites,” Saunders said.

“One unique aspect of the shop is our outdoor space behind the store, which includes both covered and open seating. We’re developing it as a place where customers and community members can relax, read and spend time together,” she said. “Over time, we hope to use that space to host readings, gatherings and other community events.”

At the core of her dream for Salty Pages is sharing that love of books in a space where people are encouraged to open one, curl up and be comfy for a time while mind-traveling out of their ordinary milieu.

For more information about Salty Pages

Salty Pages is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., six days a week (closed Tuesdays), but may expand those hours in summer.

For now, the store’s primary social media is Instagram, but Saunders wants to extend her online footprint soon on Facebook and maybe a website. For details, call 805-203-0633.

Kathe Tanner

The Tribune

805-781-7904 (voicemails only)

Kathe Tanner has been writing about the people and places of SLO County’s North Coast since 1981, first as a columnist and then also as a reporter. Her career has included stints as a bakery owner, public relations director, radio host, trail guide and jewelry designer. She has been a resident of Cambria for more than four decades, and if it’s happening in town, Kathe knows about it.