I'll Meet You There Bookstore and Coffee Shop has opened in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Homegrown Iowan reported.
Located at 62 16th Ave. SW in the city's Czech Village neighborhood, I'll Meet You There opened on Monday with a starting inventory of around 1,200 titles. Books are available for all ages, and the store features comfortable seating and a children's corner. The coffee shop side of the business is not yet open, but should be up and running within the next week or two. It will serve tea, coffee, energy drinks, and assorted pastries.
Store owners and sisters Lindsay McGrath and Jaymie McGrath named the bookstore in honor of their mother, Mary Kay McGrath, who died in 2024. She was an entrepreneur and property owner who helped revitalize Czech Village; in 2018 she bought eight flood-damaged buildings in the neighborhood and turned them into a candy store, ice cream shop, cafe, and other businesses. "I'll meet you there" was a phrase she often said.
"From what I'm told, Mary Kay had always wanted to see a bookstore down here," store manager Lucy Steele told Homegrown Iowan. "They felt the time was right to honor her and do that."