The dream space for Plenty is going to become a reality in the coming months, with a leap of faith and hope for building book culture in our community. Lisa Uhrik remembers it as MacAdoo’s and going in for Girl Scout uniforms and special dresses. It was a shop where two of her great aunts worked, side-by-side for over three decades, offering strong opinions and confident guidance on the best looks for customers they knew as extended family.
That retail space on Broad Street on Cookeville's West Side still has the same doors, (possibly the oldest original working retail doors in Cookeville). Lisa notes that we must have gotten taller in our culture since those doors were put in, as they seem a little short for those over six feet tall. When Lewis Matheney and Gary Lee decided to exit this space and their quest with Harper’s Rare Books & Collectables, Plenty co-founders Lisa and Dave Uhrik and Ashley Michael were excited to jump on the opportunity to more than double the space for Plenty Downtown Bookshop by moving across the street.
"While we need support to be sustainable in the current space, we've craved more space for a dedicated children's area, for people to linger over a light snack, and to create an experience that really lets you relax and meander,” Lisa said. “Deep hanging out and browsing is a chief offering and mission for our Bookshop — giving people time and space to really connect with a book that is going to help them, entertain or lighten their day in some way,” she said. This space will serve to fulfill that mission while honoring her family legacy with a nod to Cookeville’s retail history.
Ashley Michael, co-founder and manager, said, "I am really looking forward to all that we can do in this new space. This is a game-changer, to be able to have extra room for more seating, carry more wonderful titles, and host a lovely author event or book club while leaving plenty of room for the rest of the community to browse the shelves and enjoy the shop at the same time — this is the downtown shop that can live and thrive in for decades upon decades. “I've absolutely loved our shop at 48 W.
Broad," she said. "It's beautiful. But we have been dreaming up the most magical space to go in across the street at 41 W.
Broad, and I just cannot wait for Cookeville to see it." For Dave Uhrik, this is the opportunity to help the passions of the bookshop staff really blossom. "We have such a passionate staff, and they need room to create a path of discovery in the bookshop,” he said.
“I'm looking forward to having space to sit there for a little while and discover books with greater ease." The founders of Plenty, with staff input, are working on their dream layout for the shop, fashioned with the style of a classic English Bookshop in mind, as well as a strong sense of place that is uniquely Cookeville. "Franklin Fixtures has been able to donate new shelves to this project, and I've gotten to work with Dave, Jr.
and with Ashley — with input from the whole team — in designing them. We're going to bring to life the idea of Mister Roger's Neighborhood, for those who remember that. We're here to help lift book interest and book culture, to help impact literacy through many initiatives and to also have a positive economic impact on all our neighbors on the West Side,” Lisa said.
Working with building owners Jim and Barbara Fleming, the team plans to start renovations now and to be open as a "Pop-Up" partial store in early November. "In January, we'll complete the move and exit our current space that we love so much. And be assured, something wonderful will be happening there as well,” Lisa said.
Ashley said, "Stacy Sharp, our incredibly wonderful assistant manager, has a beautiful wish that we have some sort of community move in January, where we actually form a line and move books across the street. And that is just an amazing picture of what this whole bookshop experience has been like; it's been a community carrying a bookshop. We're truly thankful to be here.
" Store events will continue in the current location until the move. To find out more about the store schedule and to reserve your spot, visit plentybookshop.com/events .
Provided by Plenty Bookshop..
