A new and used bookstore called the Diana has opened on a limited basis in Winchester, Ill., the Journal Courier reported.
Located at 11 E. Market St., the Diana combines a bookstore with an art gallery and emphasizes local history and artists. Owner Lucy Reid hopes the Diana will become a third space, hosting book-focused events like book clubs as well as art exhibits.
"I didn't want it to just be a bookstore or a gallery," Reid told the Journal Courier. "I wanted there to be a place for the girls and women to gather, to talk." She also wants it to be a space "where artists can come together and thrive so they are not just out there on their own."
Reid has worked as a bookseller before, having joined Our Town Books in Jacksonville, Ill., in 2018, when it was owned by Jessica Gale. Reid left the store shortly before Gale sold it to current owner Khristina Helmich, and later returned. She has also been temporarily using an open/closed sign from Our Town Books until her own signage is done.
"There are so many people that played big parts in making the Diana happen," Reid wrote on Facebook, "but if it hadn't been for Jess teaching me how to sell books, and Khristina's endless support, encouraging me to open an art gallery, answering my questions, and reminding of the important things to do in the immediate now, this would never have happened.... Thank you both for everything you have done to support this wild dream of mine."
Currently, the Diana's hours are limited and renovations continue on an upstairs space that will be turned into a residence; a small kitchen is also being added. Reid hopes to expand hours by late August.