Later this summer, Books-N-Things in New Philadelphia, Ohio, will move, change its name and add a cafe.
Per the TimesReporter, store owner David Croto is moving the bookshop two blocks north, to 173 N. Broadway, and has chosen The Bookman's Cafe as the business's new name. The store will continue to offer primarily used titles along with new books while adding beverages and a selection of pastries made by Croto's daughter Shelby Croto, a retired U.S. Army pastry chef. The cafe will have a small amount of indoor and outdoor seating.
Books-N-Things has operated in New Philadelphia's downtown for 17 years. Croto, who is 66 years old, took over the business in 2000 from his aunt Colleen Taylor, who founded the store. He plans to pass the store to Shelby Croto when he retires.
Croto told the TimesReporter that he had offers from locations outside of downtown and that he had even considered taking the business online-only, but decided to stay downtown where his customer base is.
"The joy of browsing in a bookstore cannot be overstated," said Croto. "The internet's great when you're looking for something specific. But it's useless for browsing."
Books-N-Things will close on August 1 and reopen as The Bookman's Cafe on September 1.