Cellar Bird Books, featuring new books and book-themed gifts, will open next month in the Barley Flats building at 415 Bridge St NW, Suite B, Grand Rapids, Mich. Crain's Grand Rapids Business reported that owner Lea Kocurek, a former production manager at Paramount, is planning to launch the shop in a 1,170-square-foot space.
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| Cellar Bird Books in progress | |
As an "avid reader" who is "really passionate" about storytelling, she said she has long dreamed of opening a bookstore: "I think storytelling is just something that I gravitate to, between movies and books."
Kocurek's decision to open the bookstore follows six years working at Paramount's animation studio, where her film credits include The Book of Life, Rumble, Mr. Beast's Under the Boardwalk, and upcoming films Aang: The Last Airbender and The Smurfs Movie.
She moved with her husband from Los Angeles to Grand Rapids in 2021, after they "felt a pull" to the area. "We bought a house sight unseen and we drove across the country and moved here, and we love it," she said.
Regarding her decision to open a bookshop, Kocurek noted, "I needed a change in some way. I wanted to try this."
She has signed a five-year lease for the storefront. Cellar Bird Books will be a general-interest bookstore, selling adult, YA, and children's fiction and nonfiction across all genres. She also intends to host book clubs and hold events at the store.
"I'm going to have to feel it out a little bit once I open and understand the customers a bit better," said Kocurek, adding that so far she has had a warm welcome on Bridge Street, noting that her fellow business owners have expressed excitement for the new bookstore.
"I'm hoping that (Cellar Bird Books) ends up being a good spot for people to be able to come before or after a meal and browse," she said. "I've been really intrigued by the (Bridge Street) area. I really love that it's part of the downtown district. To me, it felt like a good spot to fill a gap where there's not a bookstore."