Verse & Vine, a romance-focused bookstore and wine lounge, opened in Poulsbo, Wash., on July 3, the Kitsap Sun reported. Located inside of a renovated historic home at 19679 Front St. NE, Verse & Vine carries a wide selection of romance titles. The lounge serves wine, tea, and a selection of small bites. There is also a garden, which customers can reserve for things like book club meetings.
Owners and mother-daughter team Jaci Bryant and Carmen Garringer described Verse & Vine as a love letter to the Poulsbo and Kitsap County communities, which helped raise money when Garringer was diagnosed with cancer as a child.
"This community as a whole has really taken care of us," Bryant told the Kitsap Sun. "While we were gone at treatment, the Kitsap County as a whole, but particularly North Kitsap County, were raising funds so we could continue on with what life looked like and reduce stress."
Both avid readers, Garringer and Bryant were inspired to start a romance bookstore of their own after going to a book signing at another romance bookstore. Adding wine to the mix, Garringer said, was an immediate next step.
They found Verse & Vine's future home in December 2025 and purchased it in February. Built in 1906, the house had previously belonged to a CPA office and had not been renovated since the 1980s.
Bryant and Garringer have turned it into a cozy, living room-like space, and are adding a 700-square-foot addition they are calling the Conservatory. They plan to use it for events, including author talks, movie nights, and paint-and-sip nights, and aim for it to be open by October.
So far, Verse & Wine has been very well-received, with the owners reporting there were more than 300 transactions on opening day alone.