Savoy Bookshop & Café Opens for Business

Savoy Bookshop & Café, the sister store to Mystic, Connecticut’s Bank Square Books, officially opened for business on Tuesday, March 29, in downtown Westerly, Rhode Island, reported Rhode Island Monthly.

Annie Philbrick and Patience Banister, who also own Bank Square Books, opened the store with the support of local developers Chuck Royce and Dan King.

The two-level, 2,500-square-foot store is located in the building that housed the historic Savoy Hotel and features white tin ceilings, wood floors embedded with emerald green prisms, a large children’s section, and reading chairs among its shelves of books.

A café operated by Tim and Erika Lebling, owners of the local Wakin’ Up Waggin’ coffee cart, serves Dave’s Coffee, muffins, and Belgian waffles.

Author Matthew Betley (Overwatch, Simon & Schuster) visited the store on opening day for a book talk and signing. Events will continue throughout April with authors Suzanne Rindell (Three-Martini Lunch, G.P. Putnam’s Sons), Maury Klein (Stealing Games, Bloomsbury), and Terry Gaspard (Daughters of Divorce, Sourcebooks), who will hold a Self-Improvement Series discussion on family, relationships, and divorce. Both bookstores will celebrate Independent Bookstore Day on April 30 with events and special sales.

A grand opening celebration is planned for April 16, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Additional photos of the bookstore can be seen here.