The Whispering Page, a bookstore, bar, and cafe, opened September 3 in Worthington, Ohio, WCMH reported.
A general-interest, all-ages bookstore, the Whispering Page occupies two floors of a historic building at 661 N. High St. Alongside books, the store sells candles, greeting cards, and gifts, and the cafe serves coffee and a variety of baked goods. The bar serves beer, wines, and prosecco. Event plans include trivia nights, book-bedazzling workshops, author signings, and more. Customers can also book the space for private events.
Co-owners and sisters-in-law Ashley McCoy and Devin McCoy were inspired to open a business together after losing two family members last year. "We were having these thoughts of 'tomorrow's never guaranteed,' " Ashley McCoy told WCMH. "We were all spending time together over a glass of wine and said, 'well, what about if we had like a bookstore that had a bar?' And I think we all kind of thought like, 'oh yeah, that sounds fun.' "
When the pair started looking for suitable locations, they were open to several communities in central Ohio. They honed in on Worthington after noticing that when searching for bookstores on Google Maps, there was a "very obvious gap" in the area, and upon touring the building at N. High St., they "immediately fell in love."
"A huge part of what we're trying to do is give back to the Worthington community," McCoy added. "So a lot of the products that are not books you see on our shelves are from more than 10 local businesses, and we're collaborating with local businesses as much as possible."
Since the opening on September 3, the store has been well-received, with McCoy saying it has already been "better than we could have expected."
WCMH noted that the Whispering Page is the second bookstore to open in Worthington this year; the romance- and fantasy-focused Celestielle Bookstore opened there in May.