Vellum & Vine, a romance bookstore and coffee shop located at 2677 Louisiana Blvd. N.E. in Albuquerque, N.Mex., hosted its grand opening celebration August 15-16 to a line that stretched "about three hours long at the longest part," owner Shyann Reichard told Albuquerque Business First.
"Letting people see it for the first time was scary, but everyone loved it and had such great reactions," she added. "It felt good to know that what I thought people would enjoy, they actually did enjoy."
In a social media post afterward, the bookstore noted: "Thank you, Albuquerque, for an incredible grand opening weekend! Our minds are blown by this community and we cannot wait to keep the party going. Half of our inventory was sold out on day ONE! We are working to restock as fast as possible, so please excuse our naked shelves for the next week! We still have the tastiest treats in town so come hang out with us."
Vellum & Vine is the realization of Reichard's lifetime passion for books "and a matter of circumstances after she was laid off from her film industry job nearly a year ago," Albuquerque Business First wrote.
"I didn't want to be bored in a normal job... outside of film," she said. "I loved my job in the film industry, and they say if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.... I wanted to create a third space. I didn't want it to just feel like a retail store where you come in, get your merchandise and then leave. I wanted people to linger and hangout and create a community space where we can do events and people can hang out for a while and feel welcome.... We don't have food, but coffee is the next best thing and I think books and coffee go together really well." Author signings, craft nights, movie nights, and midnight release parties are also in the works.
The bookstore's space measures 2,600 square feet, Albuquerque Business First noted, adding that Reichard and her father did a majority of the construction aside from the flooring, which was installed by a contractor.
"I've heard a lot from customers that have come in and visited us so far that they've been following the journey on social media from the beginning," she said. "I first announced that I was opening the store back in May, and I tried to focus on everything that I was posting being about the journey and not just about the business itself."