A bookstore and bar called the Book Lounge will open in Meridian, Idaho, this spring, the Idaho Statesmen reported.
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| A recent Book Lounge pop-up. | |
The Book Lounge will reside in a 1,600-square-foot space at 33 East Idaho Ave., Suite 120, in Meridian's downtown. The bookstore will focus entirely on fiction, with a plethora of genres represented, and the event plans include book clubs, author signings, trivia nights, puzzle nights, and craft nights.
The bar side of the business will offer beer, wine, mocktails, and coffee, along with an assortment of small bites sourced from local businesses. In addition, the Book Lounge will stock nonbook items like socks and bookmarks, also locally sourced.
Kaeleigh McCreery, who co-owns the Book Lounge along with Kelsey Stech, Amelia Gale, and Emily McClung, told the Idaho Statesman that she and the other co-owners would have "talks of like, gosh, we wish there was a place like this that was in Meridian, that's a little more central." After talking about it for long enough, "we realized…well, why don't we just do this ourselves?"
Though they always intended to open a bricks-and-mortar store, they decided to debut as a pop-up business about five months ago to get the word out and start building a customer base. During that time the Book Lounge set up shop at local wineries and farmers markets, and they frequently heard from customers that "Meridian needs a place like this," Gale told the Idaho Statesman.
In an update 10 days ago, the Book Lounge said that a contractor has been found and the build out will start soon.