Walking into Bookends: Literature & Libations in Ybor City feels like stepping into a friend’s cozy home.
Colorful books are on display on gorgeous built-in shelves and atop vintage credenzas and tables. There are curious objects — like a vintage typewriter — and quirky furniture accessories that call back to a bygone era. The couches in one room are covered in plastic, the way grandma kept hers. There’s lively conversation, and people lingering and laughing. Soon, a kitchen and coffee bar will provide an additional enticement to stick around and hang out.
For three years, sisters and co-owners Teresa and Laurie Rodriguez operated Bookends as a mobile pop-up bookstore while rehabilitating a 100-year-old bungalow on the 2200 block of Second Avenue to be the permanent shop. Bookends finally opened in July, and it’s been busy ever since…