Once upon a time, in a land not-so-far-away, editors Katelyn + Rilee set off on an epic journey. Okay, it was no Odyssey, but we are pretty excited.

We took a #FirstLook at Lakeland’s upcoming bookstore, Pressed. If you’re not an avid bibliophile, no worries. We’ve broken down all the need-to-know details about Lakeland’s new book haven + coffee shop for you here:

The characters

Our protagonists are Christina + Paul Needham, the visionaries behind Pressed Lakeland. Christina, otherwise known as the owner, operational manager, and curator of fiction, children’s literature, and cookbooks, described seeing Lakeland’s growth over the last 9 years and being struck by the city’s potential.

As we walked through the shop, rain pattering away on the windows and roof, Christina explained the process of seeing her longtime dream come to life. “I’m excited to be a part of the downtown scene,” she said.

Paul, otherwise known as the creative director and curator of nonfiction and philosophy, has been building shelves and getting innovative with his ideas for the store, and it shows.

Like any good story, our main characters have the help of some supporting characters. When you come to Pressed, you’ll meet Honeycomb Bread Bakers, Ethos Coffee Roasters, Vakti Gallery, and MockingbirdArtist.

The Plot

Picture this: you walk through the door and are welcomed by the smell of Ethos coffee and Honeycomb Bread Bakers’ baked goods. To your left, the children’s area, complete with a kid-sized table and chairs, children’s literature of all types, and coloring books. To your right, the fiction section sunbathing in the light coming through the large Bay Street-facing windows.

Continuing through the shop, you’ll see books broken down by genre on shelves hand built by Paul. About halfway through the store, a section of gently used novels awaits fresh eyes. In the back, fresh coffee + tea are waiting and local art curated by Vakti Gallery is available for purchase on the walls. Also available are locally made goods, such as planners and tumblers by MockingbirdArtist.

Are you ready for our favorite part of this story? Each genre’s section has a special local author spotlight, so you can feast your eyes on a local author’s piece of art, regardless of what genre you’re looking for.

Children and Youth sections | Photo via LALtoday

The setting

Nestled in 213 E. Bay St., formerly known as TwentySeven, the warm + inviting shop is located just around the corner from many Kentucky Ave. favorites, such as Scout & Tag and Mitchell’s Coffee.

The fiction section | Photo via LALtoday

Chapter 1

Wondering when Pressed Lakeland is opening to page one of their journey? You can step through the doors later this month. An announcement with exact details will be making its appearance in the near future, so stay tuned in to Pressed Lakeland’s social media for an exact date (plus, you can always count on us to give you the latest).

While Chapter 1 of Pressed Lakeland is just about to begin, Christina is already making plans for what further chapters could hold, possibly as soon as this fall. Think: community events, book clubs, readings, poetry nights, the list is endless, and we are ready to experience it all.