Sherwood Bookstore opened earlier this month in Sherwood, Ore., Oregon Live reported.
Located at 16771 S.W. 12th St., Suite D, the bookstore carries titles for all ages and has an ample children's area equipped with blocks and sensory toys. There are couches throughout the store, and customers can purchase beer, cider, wine, and tea.
Many of the store's nonbook offerings, including blankets, paint-by-number kits, and chocolates, are sourced from local small businesses. The store's event offerings include sensory-friendly shopping hours and $2 tea times, with an adult reading program and trivia competition coming this summer.
Owners and married couple Adam Bienvenu and Laura Mulkey welcomed customers for the first time on May 1. Bienvenu told Oregon Live that a trip to Powell's Books in Portland, which is some 45 minutes away, got him thinking about opening a bookstore in Sherwood.
Bienvenu noted that though Sherwood already had a children's book and toy store, the community did not have a place to find general-interest books for both kids and adults. Accessibility and literacy are big parts of the store's mission. Sherwood Bookstore operates a community fund that will be used to help others afford books; runs a leave-a-book, take-a-book program; and helps customers sign up for library cards.
"We know that Oregon has not fantastic literacy rates," Bienvenu said, "and I wonder if the accessibility of books is also part of that issue. It couldn't hurt to have more available."