Grapevine is lastly getting an independent book shop, and it’s women-owned, to boot. Talking Animals Books, situated at 103 W.Worth St in Grapevine, is tossing open its doors to the general public on February 2.
Founded by Katy Lemieux and co-owned with Valerie Walizadeh, the store will likewise function as an arts location, with the popular Shakespeare in the Bar becoming its resident theater business.
Customers can anticipate a large choice of brand-new and secondhand books, consisting of adult and kids’s literature, modern-day fiction, real criminal offense, cookbooks, foreign-language titles, art books, plays, poetry, and YA, along with the routine spotlighting of regional authors.
The shop will likewise include author occasions and weekly kids’s story time, along with open mic occasions, video game nights, and numerous other factors to collect.
“Dallas, Fort Worth, Denton, and Arlington all have great indie book shops, however this part of North Texas– Grapevine, in specific– has actually never ever seen one, regardless of our historical Main Street and being called the Christmas Capital of Texas,” statesLemieux “We wished to integrate a little indie book shop into our town’s lovely and distinct financial landscape, which was currently inviting to small companies.”
Lemieux, a Fort Worth native, is an arts reporter and author who was motivated by the pandemic and turning 40 to turn her focus to her puppy love: books and reading. She and her spouse, star and monologist Justin Lemieux, have actually been active in the Dallas-Fort Worth theater neighborhood for the last years, with Justin appearing in plays, Katy blogging about them, and the set producing 3 initial solo plays carried out by Justin.
California native Valerie Walizadeh’s background in retail started right out of high school, and she invested the majority of her profession handling and introducing brand-new shops with Blockbuster Video andStarbucks After having her very first kid in 2007, Walizadeh made a bachelor’s degree in early youth education while pregnant with her 2nd. She and her spouse, Al, are devoted readers and like to find little book shops whenever possible, constantly fantasizing about opening among their own.
Lemieux and Walizadeh are both active in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, where their kids cover primary through high school. A close shared buddy presented them, and after a viral Kickstarter project, Talking Animals raised $54,100 in less than a month, going beyond the objective of $50,000.
After screening out a handful of effective vacation pop-up stores, Talking Animals is now prepared for buyers.
Talking Animals Books will include style and art curated by regional artists and occasion partnerships with House of Shine, to name a few regional and small companies. The store likewise includes distinct presents, Tee shirts and socks, and a sitting space for reading or work. Upstairs is a kids’ backyard and sitting area.
Talking Animals lives inside a 122-year-old structure that was when a bank robbed by the Bonnie and Clyde gang– though the titular set was not included that specific day, “as they had pals with deposit and were paradoxically worried about bad blood in between pals,” checks out a release.
Talking Animals will admire the bank’s history with a micro-gallery of historic pictures and stories honoring the town’s amazing history and the book shop’s area. The structure is owned by Bermuda Gold & & Silver, a family-owned shop that has actually stayed in business for 40 years. Owner Debi Meeks has actually revealed and brought back artifacts connecting to the shop’s history in its initial kind and information about the break-in and captives that were held inside the safe-deposit box.
And the name? It originates from C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, where the Talking Animals are a sub-category of Narnia’s occupants, the sentient animals who can speak with human beings.
The February 2 ribbon cutting will start at 5:30 pm, with a reception instantly following.
Parking is offered behind the structure on the south side of Worth Street and all surrounding street parking, consisting ofMain Parking after 5 pm is not allowed on the north side of Worth (in the Dino’s car park).
