Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, Tex., is expanding into an adjacent storefront and adding about 1,400 square feet.
Owner Valerie Koehler and her team plan to use the additional space for storage, shipping, and receiving, as well as events. The two storefronts won't be connected in the front, but Koehler intends to remove a wall and connect the spaces' back rooms. The events portion will be flexible, and the team will use screens to adjust the space as needed.
Koehler noted that the expansion will mean "we don't have to go to storage every day," and given the way the store's shipping and pre-order business has increased since the pandemic, the team is "very excited for more working space." And while the move won't add any selling space directly, it will allow Blue Willow to "recapture" its existing selling space.
Renovations are underway, and Koehler hopes to have the addition up and running around mid-July.