A Searsport bookstore has moved to a bigger new location that now also serves up coffee and other beverages in a cafe-style space.
Anodyne Book Shop moved late last year from its location at 33 E. Main St., in the downtown, to its new digs at 175 W. Main St., which is also Route 1. The new location is about a mile away towards Belfast.
The extra space has also allowed the store to expand its stock of books and its staff.
But only in late January did the bookstore add coffee — made by Downshift Coffee in Belfast — tea and other assorted beverages and pastries to its offerings, with a serving counter and several cafe-style tables available for guests to sit at.
So far, staff say that customers have welcomed the changes.
“I think people love it. There’s a lot of mornings where we have a sizable group of people who come to linger over coffee and chitchat or read,” employee Spencer Stephens said. “As we get a better sense of what folks like, I would imagine that the products that we offer will shift and expand a little bit.”
The overall inventory has also been expanded, Stephens said.
“It’s bright and airy, and we got tons more floor space than we used to,” Stephens said. “We also have plenty more space where folks can sit down in a comfortable chair and read a book or read a magazine or linger over coffee.”
The bookstore also hosts events with guest authors, a monthly book club and will soon add a crafting hour.
The store is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but expects to extend its Friday hours soon.
