Lovers of books and all things coffee will soon have a new brick-and-mortar storefront in downtown Lakeland at which to peruse and sip.
Pressed, one of the few independent bookstores in the area to deal in new titles, is set to open in mid-July. The 2,000-square-foot store will be located at 213 E. Bay St.
Until recently, the storefront held a gift and art store called Twenty Seven, and before that was a combination of Twenty Seven and the bakery/coffeeshop Honeycomb Bread Bakers, which also will supply the new literary venture with its baked goods.
Pressed owners Christina Needham and her husband Paul Needham said they plan to introduce not just books but also a new gathering spot to downtown Lakeland.
“We are both book lovers, and we enjoy coffee as well,” Christina Needham says. “We hope that it will become a little gem in the community, a gathering space for conversations and community. And we want to support local authors.”
Born in Las Vegas, Christina Needham, a music educator who has been teaching voice and piano at Harrison School for the Arts, will leave her current position to take on the full-time, day-to-day operations at Pressed.
Paul Needham is originally from North Carolina and previously taught chemistry, most recently at George Jenkins High School. He will continue in his current position as director of Population Health at Lakeland Regional Health. The two met as students at Florida State University.
The store will carry roughly 1,300 titles, with capacity to accommodate special orders. Bonus: Pressed is working with a distribution company that sets aside titles specifically for independent booksellers.
“We are very intentional about the books we want to sell,” Christina Needham says. “I think people want to have a place where they can come physically. As we’ve become more technologically advanced, we’re seeing people being drawn back (to bricks and mortar).”
The owners plan to cover many genres of books, including fiction, nonfiction and classics, but will focus its inventory on works released since the beginning of the year. They also will emphasize a large selection of children’s books, the goal of which is to help fill the need for early literacy.
While some may question the decision to open an independent bookstore in the golden age of online booksellers, Christina Needham says she is encouraged.
“I think especially in this day and age, especially after the year we’ve had, books are important,” she says. “So in that sense, I think it’s a great time to open a bookstore. I think the pendulum is swinging away from (online) and back to small local bookstores.”
Indeed, the national organization representing independent booksellers reported Thursday that its membership increased from 1,635 to 1,701 during the last year.
Benjamin Vickers, owner of Honeycomb Bread Bakers, looks forward to the collaboration.
“I think it’s really exciting and brave of her opening a local and curated bookstore,” Vickers says. “In my experience, bookstores serve a really particular niche in any small community. I’d love to see a selection of books that are more curated and intentional, and a gathering place to talk about books.”
Beyond books, plans call for selling local baked goods and other food options. Pressed will house a full coffee bar and is working with another local business, Ethos Roasters.
Then there’s the community hub aspect.
“We would love to host community events, like author spotlight nights, book clubs and writing workshops, and possible art gallery pop-ups — as many things as we can do in the evenings beginning in the fall,” Christina Needham says.
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Vickers says the social aspect of Pressed resonates with him. “If it can be a gathering place, I think that can be a real balm for healing after what we’ve experienced this past year,” he says.
While still determining the hours of operation, Christina Needham says she is ready to give it her all.
“I’m just very grateful for the opportunity, and I have so much respect for the local businesses and what they’ve been through this past year,” she says. “It’s an exciting time in our city. There’s just so much growth. Overall, my whole perspective has been one of gratitude.”
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This is very exciting. I am already planning in my head to have a book club event there with my book club. I love this idea and will be very willing to support it. I remember the days of Mosswood Bookstore in Lakeland and how its leaving a number of years ago left a real void.
I agree Tammy. This is deja vu, all over again. Love it.
Will it have gentle coffee shop music? the kind the wont interfere with sitting and reading. I think it is a great idea and I miss that kind of environment.
I had a bookstore with cafe before retiring a few years back. If I may suggest you scale up the coffee prices. Make a great Cold Brew, and serve iced lattes with different flavors of Italian syrups. Make it sound exciting with daily specials. Like an Iced Vanilla Macadamia Latte. The special is not a out the price, it’s about the ingenuity. You need to look very official with a top of the line Expresso machine. Some cost upwards of ten grand. Very fancy with sound effects and frothers. Good luck.
Tammy, I too will support this bookstore. The big-box competition is fine — we need a Books-A-Million, too — but like you, I mourn the passing of Mosswood and its more intimate, more intentional feel. Lakeland needs a charming venue that can host writing and reading groups, as well as provide a spotlight for local and “small book” writers and perhaps for open-mic poetry and prose slams. I wish Christina and Paul great success. And you can make book on that!