Looking For A Neighborhood Book Bar? Skylight Is Opening A Bookstore Cafe In Eagle Rock

Los Feliz vicinity gem Skylight Books is opening a 2nd location successful Eagle Rock.

The storied bookseller posted nan announcement connected societal media past week, writing, “We conscionable signed a lease connected this beautiful abstraction astatine 1958 Colorado Blvd., and dream to unfastened this fall. It’s astir 6,000 quadrate feet and will person room for a cafe!”

“Don’t interest — we’re not leaving Los Feliz,” nan station continued. “This location will beryllium successful summation to our existent home, wherever we’ll beryllium celebrating 30 years this fall.”

Nestled successful nan bosom of Los Feliz, nan original Skylight Books has solidified its opinionated arsenic a taste hub of L.A.’s eastbound side. Passing by connected a random weeknight, 1 mightiness spot an overflow of patrons spilling onto Vermont Avenue, arsenic nan shop regularly hosts authors to talk their caller books. The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of “The Sympathizer,” Viet Thanh Nguyen, made an quality location past month, and Pulitzer Prize finalist Xochitl Gonzalez is expected to extremity by to talk her caller book, “Last Night successful Brooklyn,” connected April 27.

In nan comments conception of Skylight’s station announcing nan large news, nan who’s who of L.A.’s literati popped nan proverbial champagne.

“Finally I tin locomotion to Skylight,” replied Mark Haskell Smith. “Wow!” added Tod Goldberg. “This is astir to alteration my full life,” wrote Attica Locke. Emma Straub chimed in, “OMG!!!!!!,” and Rosecrans Baldwin near immoderate emojis: clinking bubbly glasses to toast nan news.

Mary Williams, nan bookstore’s co-owner and wide manager, told The Times this week that nan squad astatine Skylight was blown distant by nan consequence online.

“It really was benignant of thrilling to spot this point that we’ve been moving connected for a mates months, yet getting to stock it pinch nan world, and seeing everyone get truthful excited astir it,” she said. “So I really can’t hold to unfastened and induce everyone in.”

While nan Los Feliz shop is astir 3,500 quadrate feet, nan caller Eagle Rock digs are importantly larger. The location has been location to various eateries complete nan years — astir recently, Cheebo — and Skylight will person to bring successful immoderate building powerhouses to tear retired a monolithic pizza oven and commercialized room to make measurement for nan books.

“It’s going to beryllium a bigger shop than we person present successful Los Feliz,” Williams said. “There’s room for a cafe, which is going to beryllium nan large difference, and we’re hoping to adhd a brew and vino licence to that arsenic well, and, of course, plentifulness of room for tons of books.”

Aside from Eagle Rock’s forthcoming cafe, and nan monolithic ficus character that will stay unsocial to nan Los Feliz location, Williams hopes nan 2 stores won’t beryllium truthful different astatine all.

“Our extremity is really to return what we’re already doing successful Los Feliz and bring it to different vicinity that would invited that benignant of curation, which is why Eagle Rock could beryllium a bully fresh for us,” she said.

“We will tweak nan proportions of sections. Some mightiness beryllium bigger, immoderate mightiness beryllium smaller, particularly aft we open, and benignant of spot what group are responding to successful nan neighborhood,” she said. “But nan extremity really is for Skylight to beryllium Skylight, nary matter which location you’re in.”

Williams said nan extremity is to unfastened nan Eagle Rock shop successful precocious October. “Our designer told america that’s a beautiful eager timeline, but we’re going for it,” she said. “We’re moving arsenic accelerated arsenic we can.”

Skylight will support customers updated connected Eagle Rock news via its societal media accounts and newsletter.

This weekend, acclaimed authors Bess Kalb, Stephen Graham Jones, Luke Goebel, Chiara Barzini, Jose Pimienta, Justin Torres, Rachel Khong and Nate DiMeo will motion books astatine nan Skylight Books booth astatine nan Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.