Well Red Coffee, Books & Wine opened this week at 223 Opelika Rd. in Auburn, Ala. Crystal and Richard Tomasello, co-owners of the Depot, "created something that, until recently, was absent from the business scene" in the city, an independent bookstore, the Auburn Villager reported.
"A couple of years ago we went to a wedding in Asheville [N.C.] Battery Park bookstore," said Crystal Tomasello. "We saw the unique way they operated and we said to each other that Auburn needs something like this."
Well Red's location has been renovated to combine the best of bookstores, coffee shops and wines. "When we go to dinner, we try to eat out at small business establishments, but go somewhere else for dessert," she added. "That's what we provide here. We have all homemade desserts as well as an in-house baker. It's a great place to relax and study as well as grab some coffee or wine."
Although opening a business during a pandemic was extremely challenging, Tomasello noted some advantages: "It has been crazy because everything shut down so quickly, so you have the issues of ordering things and shipping not coming on time, but you also didn't have to rush. But it gave us time to focus on details. We share the frustration and anxiety with other businesses but it's been nice to slow down."
She added: "Our customers are super special. They have all expressed that they are excited to have something like this in Auburn. People came in the morning for coffee and at night for wine."