Walk past the charming signs outside of Palmyra’s The Nerd Place and The Oldies Laundromat, and you’ll find a newer sign that reads Book Bar.
The bookstore-café is a recent venture by local Brittany Hayes, who opened it in late October, taking over the space from the former K&G Hardware.
Step inside the space, and remnants of the hardware store remain, though disguised. The same pegboard is on the wall, painted a dark, moody green to evoke the “dark academia” vibe that Hayes was going for. Surrounded by antique furniture, a fireplace and a cherry wood bar, it’s easy to see that Hayes achieved her aesthetic goal.
Beyond just surface level, Book Bar offers the community a third space, or a place to go outside of home and work or school.
“I’m really glad to be a meeting place for people to come and share ideas and talk about books,” Hayes said.
Hayes formerly worked for the academic publishing industry, making her way here from her home state of Missouri through a circuitous route that included Spain and Ohio. Her husband Nicholas Frank, Spanish teacher for Hershey High School, came with her on the journey.
“He’s always wanted to be a teacher, and now I’m following this dream,” Hayes said.
The two, it seems, have found their callings. Frank even helps out behind the café bar on the weekends, getting to see his students and their families outside of the school atmosphere.
With a bar that offers coffee and mocktails, plus treats from Quentin Confections, Hayes’ two-part establishment is more than just a place to buy books. It’s a place to gather through groups like Kids’ Hot Cocoa Story Time or Recommendations Book Club, the latter of which is a book club where you give and get recommendations (and it doesn’t require any advance reading).
Since her opening, Hayes feels like her shop fits right in.
“People are excited,” she said. “They want something local, and I can tell they want to support independent stores, us and others. I get that probably once a day so far.”
To prove her point, a woman knocked on the door during our interview, when the shop was closed, to donate a barely used book for Hayes’ high-quality used book section.
“I love to support people who are trying to do good,” the woman said on her way out.
“We do take limited donations,” Hayes explained. “I hope to do some kind of program at some point, maybe giving a discount.”
She is picky, though, to make sure used books are in good condition, without water damage or other faults that could jeopardize her existing inventory with mold or bugs.
At large, Hayes’ new book collection is primarily fiction with a smattering of nonfiction. Fiction is her bread and butter, her two favorite books being “Mexican Gothic” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen. Her favorite part of the job is recommending books to others based on their reading preferences.
“I can jump out from behind the counter and be like, ‘Let me give you a couple,’” she said.
Hayes did just this for me, asking me my favorite genres or authors. Among other writers, I noted a soft spot for Kristin Hannah. Then she asked if I’m more of an adventure or romance person. “Adventure,” I responded. I ended up with recommendations like “If The Tide Turns” by Rachel Rueckert, “Saving Krakow” by K R Kiehl and “The Warm Hands of Ghosts” by Katherine Arden.
With a collection of titles on the smaller side (at least compared to larger bookstores), Hayes is still building up her inventory, but the books are adeptly hand-curated based on her own experience as a reader and general book lover. Popular titles like “James” by Percival Everett and “The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians,” a nonfiction title from James Patterson, are available, along with titles from both renowned and up-and-coming local authors like Lucy Score and K. Iwancio.
All of the titles sit on sustainably secondhand bookshelves that came from Cupboard Maker Books of Enola. This is a solid example of the supportive community among booksellers in the area and beyond. When planning her business, Hayes shadowed bookstore owners around the country and touched base with local owners, joining a community that helps each other out.
The number of independent bookstores doubled from 2016–2023, bucking the force of big-time institutions like Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Hayes is just one of many people deepening the plot for the industry and local communities. Still, for Palmyra, Book Bar is special, and Hayes feels the love.
“We moved here just a few months before the pandemic. We were fresh out of our grad program, and we didn’t know anyone,” she said. “We had no money. We were a little forlorn, because everything closed down.”
With those days behind her and a third space for the community up and running, she couldn’t be more satisfied with the denouement.
Book Bar is located at 50 N. Railroad St., Suite 1, Palmyra. For more information, visit www.bookbarus.com or @BookBarUS on Facebook and Instagram.
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