Liz's Book Bar has officially opened in Brooklyn, N.Y., Brooklyn Mag reported.
Owner and author Maura Cheeks (Acts of Forgiveness) welcomed customers for the first time last month. Located at 315 Smith St. in Brooklyn's Carroll Gardens neighborhood, Liz's Book Bar spans 1,500 square feet and sells mostly adult books, along with beer, wine, and coffee.
This spring, Cheeks told Shelf Awareness that her inventory has a strong emphasis on classics, particularly on fiction and nonfiction titles by Black authors that have been overlooked. A small assortment of children's and YA titles are available too.
The store is named in honor of her grandmother, who took Cheeks to plenty of bookstores and helped foster her love of reading and writing. In 2018, Cheeks left a marketing career to concentrate on writing, and since 2021, she's been able to write full time. In 2023, she began seriously looking for a space, and Cheeks learned the basics of running a bookstore and bar by working for a year at Book Club Bar in NYC's East village.
Looking ahead, Cheeks will start hosting a variety of events, including author talks and Paint and Sip nights. She'll also roll out a subscription service, where customers can pay $75 for one hardcover book and a drink per month for three months.
Cheeks told Brooklyn Mag: "I've always wanted to create a public space where people can connect with strangers and neighbors and just hang out. A place that's not home, that's not work, where you feel comfortable just spending time, is really important."