Written by The Northerner’s Ella Rose Johnson
Cozy warm lighting illuminates those who trickle into the whimsical shop. A room comes to life as creative kindred spirits enter the space. People of all walks of life wander in looking to find their favorite book or hoping to pick up a new read. Regardless, all who step through the doors of The Hidden Chapter Bookstore become one and the same.
Dave and Lacey Mulcahy, owners of The Hidden Chapter Bookstore, opened their doors to the Fort Thomas community in October 2023 and their new addition cafe opened last February, offering a cafe and bar menu. Their store came to fruition from a wild idea. During the Covid-19 Pandemic, the Mulcahys, like everyone, were cooped up in their home with nothing to do but daydream. They bounced around the idea of picking up the hundreds of books laying around their house and putting them up on shelves for others to explore.
“We would talk about having a bookstore with no expectation of actually being able to afford to open one, or know how to do it. And so we would just start building this imaginary bookstore,” Dave Mulcahy said…