Bloom Bindery, a cookie bakery, bookstore and coffeehouse, will open June 1 in Middleton, Wis., at the site of the former Bloom Bake Shop, which closed last December. According to the shop's Facebook page, owner Annemarie Maitri is "partnering with our friends at Mystery to Me Bookstore" in Madison whose owner, Joanne Berg, "will bring a curated selection of books that changes monthly, this will include bestsellers, classics, cookbooks and more for retail purchase. Guest author events, weekly story times and monthly book clubs will also be planned."
Maitri noted that the new business was "created from a desire to do even more good in our community. You see, with every cookie purchased, Bloom Bindery will support literacy initiatives in our local community through a percentage of the profits."
She told the Cap Times that a trip to Portland, Ore., after the bake shop closed, and a stop at Powell's Books, brought some clarity to her future plans: "I don't really covet things, but I covet books."