Foxes & Fireflies Booksellers hosted its grand opening celebration last weekend at 1401 Tower Ave., Superior, Wis. The store had soft launched late in the summer.
Owner Maria Lockwood told WDIO she wants the store to become a community hub: "An independent bookstore can be like the heartbeat of a town. It's where people can come to meet and get together and talk and share ideas and just find inspiration.... We want this to be a community space, not just a place for you to buy books, but a place for you to sit down, read a few books, talk to some friends, play a game of checkers, just have this as a community hub for Superior."
In a Facebook post during the festivities, Lockwood noted: "Hello, readers. It's been a whirlwind weekend, and the fun keeps rolling Sunday with prize drawings at 4 p.m. Come on down and put your name in the bucket, and look through the stacks of books at your Superior bookstore. Keep the pages turning."
Prior to the soft opening at the end of August, the Duluth News Tribune reported the store would be offering a mix of new and used books, focusing on local authors and community preferences. Located in the former federal post office space, Foxes & Fireflies "will be part of the Superior Entrepreneurship Center, which has three business incubator spots managed by the Development Association, a nonprofit that also manages the Douglas County Revolving Loan Fund."
"This is our starter space. We're hoping that people love it so much that we outgrow it real fast," said Lockwood, adding that she plans to hosts events like book clubs, book parties, and story times. "We'd love people to come and utilize our space for their knitting group, or they could start their own book club. Or if kids want to come and do a chess night here, an art club night."
Lockwood also explained the origin of the bookstore's name: "I wanted a name that reflected the community I grew up in. Fireflies are just pure magic, when you catch a glimpse of them in the summer. To me, that thrill of catching sight of a firefly is the same feeling I get when I find and read a good book. Foxes are a beautiful part of our Northland home, and they are so often found in classic literature. Foxes are known for their intelligence and curiosity, the same traits that bring people to books."