Old Books on Front St., Wilmington, N.C., will host a grand opening celebration for the Top Shelf: A Literary Loft September 28. Located on the second floor of the bookstore, the new B&B is currently accepting reservations for nightly lodging from October 1.
"When you have worked for six years to build something, you want to celebrate the accomplishment and share it with friends," said managing partner Gwenyfar Rohler. "There are times that cake is called for."
Rohler and the bookstore's staff worked on renovating the second floor of the over 100-year-old building. "The interior walls had to be built, electricity, water and HVAC brought up there and then of course there was the fun part: curating the space," Rohler said. "It is aimed at people who dream of spending the night in a bookstore--but it is much more than that.... I had two guiding principles for this space: I wanted to create the adult version of [E.L. Konigsburg's YA novel] From the Mixed‑Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and to honor the writers of the state of North Carolina."
The space features a giant Scrabble board (the tiles are close to a foot in size), vintage typewriter, map mural and custom stained glass, as well as hundreds of books by and about North Carolina writers.
"We showcase over 175 writers from the state," Rohler observed. "It is interesting to me that there are the 'Titans' everyone thinks of like Thomas Wolfe, Carl Sandburg and Maya Angelou, but we have some very commercially successful authors that many people don't associate with North Carolina.... But for me this wasn't just about the big names. 
I wanted to shine a light on some of our writers who aren't as well remembered, but whose work is important.... The more I look, the more I find, the more in awe I am of the talent in this state--from the 1700s to now. It is just incredible how much we have to celebrate."
Rohler commissioned mural artist Jill Webb to design and install a map of North Carolina depicting the names and geographic location of the first 175 writers Rohler identified. "Jill has conceived a dynamic mural that we can continue to add names to as our community of writers grows."
She added: "It has taken six years to finish the loft space. But it was worth the time and patience."