Paul Hanson has been promoted to general manager of Village Books, as well as its connected greeting card and home decor store, Paper Dreams, in Bellingham’s Fairhaven District.

Hanson is the first person to take over the position since Chuck and Dee Robinson founded the two businesses more than three decades ago. The Robinsons have fulfilled the general managing duties for their stores by default up until now. They will continue as co-CEOs.

Hanson joined the business in June 2011 as a community outreach director, a function he will continue to oversee in his new role.

He began his retail bookselling career in 1989 in a mall bookstore where he worked for six years—the last three as the store manager.

Hanson had a 16-year tenure at Eagle Harbor Books on Bainbridge Island, serving as the store’s manager for 13 of those years, just before coming to Bellingham.  During those years, he was active in the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, serving on its board of directors and as its president, as well as in the American Booksellers Association, serving a three-year term on its Booksellers Advisory Council.

One of his major responsibilities has been as the store’s primary representative in the partnership with Whatcom Community College producing the Chuckanut Writers Conference.  A news release from Village Books noted that he has also been instrumental in developing stronger relationships with writers and writers’ groups.