Danniele Reeves walked past the shelves of her new bookstore just days before it opened.
"We will more than likely expand the authors and amount of books we have here to start," she said, going from one section to the next.
The Raven Book Lounge — in the former City Cafe space in Brentwood — will open to the public this Saturday after months of work to get the place ready. Named for Reeves' sister and Edgar Allan Poe's short story, the bookstore will feature more than just plush couches and spaces to read.
The Raven Book Lounge is an independent bookstore with places to read and gather.
"I happen to see on Instagram some girls in Indiana opened a boozy bookstore," Reeves said. "I was trying to contemplate where I could go and be by myself. I thought this area could use something like that. You can go in Barnes & Noble, but you can’t read the book you bought. I thought it would be nice to create a space for a community to come or just be comfortable coming in by yourself."
The Raven Book Lounge will feature a bar with literary cocktails and mocktails and bites to eat.
That's why Reeves has space for a wrap-around bar, chessboards, a puzzle table and plenty of vintage couches. Reeves wants the community to feel they have a place to go that is their own. And after losing her husband unexpectedly, she said she felt that notion stronger than ever.
"It’s for connection, really," she said. "Once I started telling others about this, people started reaching out. This community has so many local authors and artists, and there’s all these mahjong players. It’s been crazy the response that we have gotten and it’s been totally organic."
Reeves plans to have poetry nights, book clubs, private events and more as the bookstore expands. She hopes to see people come and gather, drink a glass of wine or grab a bite to eat.
The Raven Book Lounge sells not only books but art, candles and other trinkets.
"The community has just been telling us they need this," Reeves said. "I am excited to see what comes."
Opening weekend is April 18.
The bookstore hours are Tuesday-Sunday from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. except on Fridays and Saturdays, when the store stays open an extra hour late until 10 p.m.