The City of Covington has a new book store!
The Wordcage, a new used book and media store, opened in Latonia on Friday.
Located on Decoursey Avenue near Ritte’s Corner, which serves as the neighborhood’s central commercial area, the new storefront hosted a grand opening and ribbon cutting Friday afternoon. Jessica Whyte, the store’s owner, said she was inspired to open the store after visiting Dark Star Bookstore in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
“I was like, ‘Wow, this place is so cool! You could just get lost here,'” Whyte said. “On our ride back, I was like, ‘How about I open a bookstore?'”
For now, the store is focusing exclusively on used books, but Whyte said the goal was to eventually sell other kinds of media, as well: CDs, vinyl albums, VHS tapes and the like. The store also has a large back room that Whyte hopes to open up to local nonprofits and community organizations as a meeting space.
“We’ll either do it free or for very cheap,” said Whyte. “That’s what we’re hoping to do. We’ll also have it available (for) author signings, book signings, just a variety of private events if necessary and if requested.”
Whyte got help in setting up the storefront from the Latonia Business Association and the local office of the Small Business Development Center, a state program aimed at helping entrepreneurs get on their feet. The Covington office is headed up by April Coffee, who’s also the president of the Latonia Business Association.
“We helped her secure the location, secure the lease, and then have worked with her from the start, basically, of the company,” said Coffee.
Coffee said the business was significant to the neighborhood in that it was in a walkable area surrounded by other local businesses. The Roost Latonia, a coffee shop, and Bard’s Burgers and Chili, a restaurant, are both nearby, so visitors to the neighborhood could have things to do when they came to town.
“It just helps bring awareness and bring visibility down here,” Coffee said. “Anytime that you’ve got a bookstore coming in, obviously, people want to come in.”
“We have a lot of small businesses coming to Ritte’s Corner,” said Mayor Ron Washington. “Small business is the heart and soul of our city.”
The Wordcage is set to receive a small business rent subsidy of $6,000 from the city. The Covington Board of Commissioners will vote on that incentive on Tuesday.
The Wordcage is open Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Keep up with them by following them on Facebook and Instagram.
