Big Hill Books has officially opened in Minneapolis, Minn.
Located at 405 Penn Ave. S in the city's Bryn Mawr neighborhood, Big Hill Books carries new titles for children, teens, and adults along with a variety of greeting cards, gardening supplies, and home decor and gift items.
Owner Beth Thompson welcomed customers for the first time with a grand-opening celebration on July 15, and she'll host the bookstore's first author event on July 30, with local author J. Ryan Stradal. Next month she'll start a recurring event series called the First Friday Date Night; host a panel of local authors for National Bookstore Romance Day on August 19; and welcome Twin Cities author Maureen Millea Smith.
The store resides in a multi-level building originally built as a chapel in 1915, and Thompson eventually plans to turn the store's lower level into a community space available to book clubs, civic groups, nonprofits, and more.
"I may be the sole owner of this new venture, but it took a village of neighbors, friends, and family to get Big Hill Books to this point," said Thompson, who left her corporate job in 2021 to pursue her bookstore dream. "I don't have sufficient words to express my gratitude."