Inside, a lounge area will welcome readers of all ages. Parents can enjoy beer, wine, or mocktails at a six-seat bar while children spend time in a kid-friendly section of the store.
Bottled mocktails will be provided by Curious Elixirs, which incorporates ingredients such as adaptogens, herbs, and mushrooms into its nonalcoholic beverages.
Johnson says the bookstore is designed as a flexible gathering space that will host book clubs, game nights, book signings, local author events, poetry readings, and meetups for games like Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering.
“Our main focus is wanting to connect with the community. To help bring literacy back in a way, get people off of screens and more engaged in stories,” said Ben Johnson, Kate’s husband and the bookstore’s co-owner. “Stories are all around us, and I feel like they’re kind of being lost because people aren’t connecting and engaging with books anymore.”
Ahead of the storefront’s debut this summer, Pages and Perks plans to attend markets and events around Tampa Bay, selling books and introducing the concept to the community ahead of its opening.
Customers will also be able to order books and audiobooks through the store’s online shop.