Krew's Books & Brews has closed its bricks-and-mortar store in Lake Charles, La., as it pivots to an online and pop-up model, the Advocate reported. The last day in business for the physical store at 1413 W. Prien Lake Rd. was June 30.
Going forward, owner Karri Hill plans to sell books online while hosting pop-up events in partnership with businesses and other organizations around Lake Charles. In October, Hill will host a midnight release party for the sixth A Court of Thorns and Roses book, and she hopes to find venues for monthly craft clubs and book clubs. Also in the works is a "Hot Girl Walk" book club.
Hill, who opened the bookstore and coffee shop in October 2024, attributed the closure to broader economic conditions. She told the Advocate: "Unfortunately, just a few short months after we opened, the economy took a major dip, so that was really unhelpful because it's hard to ask people to spend $20 on a book when they can't afford eggs, and coffee (at a) shop is unfortunately a luxury because you can make coffee at home."
She noted that she might have been able to reduce some overhead and keep the physical store open if she turned the business entirely into a coffee shop or entirely into a bookstore, but she decided against it. At the end of the day, Hill said, "that's not what Krew's Books and Brews is."