Dream Palace Books & Coffee, offering both used books and new titles from small presses, is opening next month at 111 E. 16th St. in Indianapolis, Ind., the Indianapolis Star reported. Owner Taylor Lewandowski said opening an independent bookstore has been a long-held dream: "I really want it to be a place you can talk about books or life or anything. Just show up."
The bookstore's website describes the business as being "devoted to expanding the literary scene in Indianapolis. It is our goal to create a space, informed by the historic presence of Indianapolis' Near Northside, that engenders creativity, dialogue, and lasting relationships. We are passionate about literature and coffee. We are enthused to create a larger, unified community around a diverse selection of books."
Last month, Lewandowski told WISH8 that Dream Palace plans to host readings from local and national writers and will have a focus on the LGBTQ+ community. "I think it adds to the idea of mirroring the culture around me--who I am and what I want this space to be," he said. "I think being able to access books that you wouldn't ordinarily be able to find is really important to me, especially because some of them are just so good."
He added: "It's a space that isn't what you will find in Indianapolis. It's very open, very bright, sort of modern. I really want it to be like you step into this space and not only is it you're maybe being rooted in Indianapolis, but it's also rooting you. It's connecting to maybe these larger cities some global ideas.... I really want it to be competitive in the way it feels as a bookstore. Walking in it as if you were walking into a bookstore in New York City. I want it to be comparable in that way."
In a recent Instagram post, Lewandowski wrote: "The resurgence of bookstores in Indianapolis is such an important, vital forecasting of the future. I'm so grateful to be a part of this and contribute to a city I've lived in for most of my life. The most sacred place is the bookstore (and, I'd also argue, the public library). This is where one can browse and most importantly find material, which represents and connects them to a wider world. It's this connection that makes us more human, which aligns with the already massive history of the bookstore and publication, and the greater recognition of providing more opportunities to think outside our confines. It will be interesting to see how this new network of bookstores in Indianapolis works. Personally, I'm so thrilled to continue building something different, possibly even contrary, to what was before."