Happy Medium Books Café is turning the page, and this next chapter comes with a lot more room. The Jacksonville bookstore and café is moving into a larger Park Street space, where books, coffee, art and community will come together under one bigger roof.
The new location at 2756 Park Street will continue to house the bookstore and café, but owner Dana Shutters is using the additional space to expand what Happy Medium can offer.
A dedicated event space will be added to the back of the new location, giving the business more room for authors, classes, book clubs, Mahjong and other community events.
“We will have a bigger space for authors, for events like classes,” Shutters told WhatNow Media.
That extra room will allow Happy Medium to build on a calendar that is already an important part of the business. The bookstore regularly hosts book clubs, Mahjong gatherings, author events and creative classes, with more programming planned for the new space. “We will continue with those and then expand on them,” Shutters said.
The expansion will also put an even bigger spotlight on Jacksonville’s creative community. Happy Medium has a partnership with the Jacksonville Art Guild, which showcases local artwork at the bookstore. At the new location, the organization will feature a different artist each quarter in the dedicated event space.
The new space will also feature an art component, with Dana working alongside Lisa Lofton, Cookie Davis and Teresa Cook to bring the vision to life. “I am working with Lisa Lofton, Cookie Davis, and Teresa Cook to create an amazing local art experience,” Shutters said.
The larger space will allow the bookstore to expand across all three while giving readers more room to browse. A dedicated children’s room is planned, along with a larger hobby section and more space for local and Florida authors.
The café and bookstore will continue to operate together, keeping the combination of books, coffee and community that has become part of Happy Medium’s identity.
The business currently operates at 2724 Park Street in Riverside, where it has developed a following not only for its books and café offerings but also for its community programming. Its website highlights a range of events, including book clubs, author gatherings, Mahjong and creative activities.
Shutters, a former teacher and librarian, purchased Happy Medium in 2023 and has continued developing the bookstore as a gathering place for readers, artists and members of the local community.
Now, the move will give that community more space to gather. The current location’s last day will be September 20, according to Shutters. Happy Medium plans to temporarily close while the move takes place, with the new location expected to reopen in October.
For Shutters, the new space isn’t simply about adding square footage. It creates an opportunity to take the things people already enjoy about Happy Medium and give them room to grow from its bookstore and café to its events, art and local partnerships.
And when the doors open at 2756 Park Street, the next chapter will look familiar, just with a few more pages.
More books. More art. More events. More community – and plenty more room to settle in with a good one.
