Founded by a mother-and-daughter team, a new bookstore is preparing to open in mid-October with a focus on reading fiction, playing board games, and building community. Called The Book Lounge, it’s opening at 631 Central Avenue.
“The bookstore is all fiction, heavy on romance but with all types of fiction,” Natalya, an owner of The Book Lounge, told What Now on Wednesday. “Plus a ton of board games, with game nights every Thursday.”
The idea, Natalya says, is to build a community haven.
“We want to encourage people to come sit, read, and enjoy, and to get to know people. Imagine, on a Thursday night, a group has two or three people, but they need one more. You can match people together that way.”
And what completes this picture? It’s obvious: a cafe. The Book Lounge will be offering coffee, tea, wine, and choose-your-own-ingredients charcuterie boards. If you’re looking for something on the sweet side, there’s another charming concept: cake in a can.
The Book Lounge is a family project. When Natalya’s daughter, Pamela, who is a student and a partner in The Book Lounge, built a business selling books at local markets, the family began to see a long-imagined bookstore as a real possibility.
“I was in corporate America and Pamela had her business in books, and it went so well. Books had been a passion for both of us for a long time, and ultimately I quit my job, and we’re opening a bookstore. It’s a dream come true.”
And why the emphasis on fiction? What Now asked.
“Fiction is a place to escape, and that’s what we want this to be. An escape for people. We’ll also be having our book club, plus lots of book-related crafts. Bring people in, get them sitting down. We hope to see everyone there in mid-October.”
You can keep up with the opening by following @thebooklounge on Instagram.
