David and Lisa Loucks Christenson have opened a new bookstore, Peacock Books & Wildlife Art, "in a dark wood-lined, 325-square-foot space on the west side of the Kahler Grand Hotel" in downtown Rochester, Minn. The Post-Bulletin reported that "things haven't gone exactly as planned. The original idea was to open the shop on September 1, but potential customers kept wandering in as they painted and prepared Peacock Books."
"So we decided we had to go ahead and open up (two weeks ago). We've been overwhelmingly busy since then," said Lisa Loucks Christenson. The store carries a wide selection of new books, from bestsellers to children's books to works by regional authors. "We've talked about this for some time as something we'd like to do."
Once fully stocked, the shop will have up to 6,000 books and also feature Christenson's framed wildlife photography, as well as fantasy artwork by her daughter Emme Christenson and "sweet creations of David Christenson, a well-known local fudge maker."
Peacock Books "is attracting a steady stream of visitors, who still lament the departure of Barnes & Noble from downtown," the Post-Bulletin wrote.