#running the bookstore coffee shop bar flower shop art store bakery combo we all yearn to

[abigailspinach]

Have you ever dreamed of opening a bookstore one day? For novelist Maura Cheeks, that day was June 23rd when she opened Liz’s Book Bar in Carroll Gardens. (It’s also a café and wine bar!) Here, she talks about her work outfits, favorite novels, and $60 wedding band…

“Since my bookstore is called Liz’s Book Bar, people assume I’m Liz, but she was actually my maternal grandmother. When I was growing up in Philadelphia, we went to bookstores together, and she’d hand me these thick books I probably shouldn’t have been reading. She made me believe that writing was something I could do. Naming the store after her felt like the right way to honor her.”

“Running a bookstore is more stressful and exhausting than I’d ever imagined, as many things are. There are a million small details, so you’re making decisions on the fly every day. But it’s rewarding. There aren’t many Black-owned businesses in this neighborhood, and I’ve had a lot of Black women come up to me and say they’re so proud of what I’m doing. I’ve finally stopped crying when that happens.”