The story behind the space…
🛠️📚 Before the Books and the Baking: The Story Behind the Space 🛠️📚
Every dreamy story begins with a “before.” For Cooks & Books, it started with an empty building full of promise and absolutely nothing else. Let me back up just a minute. I always look at commercial spaces online; it’s a favorite pastime of mine. Strange, I know. Secretly, I was waiting for that “perfect” space to show up in my life. As time went on, my optimism was fading. Then, one day, a woman contacts me asking if I have any questions about her listed space. I looked up the space to refresh my brain, and there were no pictures. I tell her I am looking for a space with a wall down the middle for two separate businesses, assuming it would not apply. To my surprise, she says, “I believe this one does, let me get some pictures and get back to you.” Sure enough, it did, and within a couple of days, we met with her to look at it.
The day we saw the space, it was rough around the edges but filled with light and potential. It didn’t have a kitchen, the floors needed love, and the walls begged for paint. It was empty, but I could see it. I could see the tables filled with laughter, the shelves lined with books, and the smell of something baking in the oven drifting through the air. It was all there, just waiting to be built.
🧁 From Bare Walls to a Beautiful Space
What came next was a wild six to eight weeks of nonstop decisions, boxes, and big dreams.
We had to:
Design and build a full kitchen—sinks, ovens, prep counters, islands, and more.
Choose flooring that could handle flour, foot traffic, and flair.
Pick paint and branding colors that feel cozy, yet modern, and fun.
Hunt down appliances that were affordable and could multitask as hard as we do.
Order furniture that was inviting but practical. There were only a few hiccups with shipping, and I found a lot of furniture on FB marketplace in a short span of two weeks!
And maybe most fun (and a little overwhelming): curate a book collection that felt like home.
📦 Boxes on Boxes (on My Doorstep)
At one point, it felt like every day was a new delivery day. My house became a maze of shipping boxes, unopened packages, and bubble wrap. From pots to stacks of books, it all passed through my front door before finding its forever place in the Cooks & Books space.
There were moments when we weren’t sure it would all come together in time. But slowly, the pieces started to fit.
The walls were painted.
The flooring went in.
The electrical and plumbing were done.
The bookshelves were assembled, and the kitchen arrived.
✨ The Lovely Chaos of a Dream Coming True
There’s a kind of magic in the mess of building something from scratch. The late nights assembling furniture, the rush of seeing a chair you picked in your mind, or a bookcase you saw online, finally sitting in the room. It’s the kind of chaos I wouldn’t trade for anything. I’m addicted to it. I love to see my vision and planning come to life.
Cooks & Books is no longer a vision board or a “someday” idea. It’s real.
Just know that when you walk through our doors to take a cooking class or pick up a new favorite book, be assured that every inch of this space was chosen with love, care, excitement, and a little bit of sparkle. See you soon!
XO - Alicia
June 21, 2025