Three years after opening a bookstore in the middle of Hyde Park, the owners of First Light Books have announced plans to open a second location in the Clarksville neighborhood.
In Hyde Park, the team transformed a former neighborhood post office into the bustling bookstore with a courtyard and a café that includes wine and beer offerings. In Clarksville, the new shop is going into a United Methodist church that closed in 2024.
Robin Bruce — one of the co-owners alongside her husband, Taylor, and general manager Breezy Mayo — said the team did not plan on opening more locations when they began the venture in August 2023.
“When the opportunity in Clarksville came across our desk, it shared so many of the qualities that have made Hyde Park so special, which is a space that was originally a sort of neighborhood spot,” Bruce said.
“At Clarksville is this church that has been a rich part of the community for decades and decades,” Bruce said. “It had that combination of incredible old building, great architecture, great bones, in the middle of a neighborhood that’s designed for community.”
First Light Books announced plans to open a second store at a former United Methodist church on Lynn Street.
First Light will operate out of the former front sanctuary spot, Bruce said, and other businesses will operate from the back area, though she could not share more details at the moment. She did hint at the resurrection of the yearly pumpkin patch event St. Luke United Methodist Church put on.
The Clarksville location will feature a café and more square footage, meaning more titles will be on offer and perhaps more sections dedicated to specific genres, Bruce said.
Overall, she said, she’s looking forward to seeing how the rhythm of the day unfolds at a second location and the team getting to know new neighbors, their interests and habits, and how that influences what’s on offer.
“It’s a really cool thing to watch unfold, and Sam, our extraordinary book buyer, I know has a lot of ideas and curiosities about what that will look like over time,” she said.
Darcy Ahmed has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years and said residents first heard whispers about the development nearly a year ago. Since then, she said, she’s seen pews being pulled out of the former church and was excited when the official announcement came this week.
“I’m happy to have an independent bookstore in the neighborhood that I can walk to, and I don’t drink coffee, but I know a lot of people will be happy about the coffee shop, too,” Ahmed said. “I think just having a community space that’s vibrant and fun and attracts the neighbors would be great.”