Coffee, quilts, poetry, pastries

By Jim Obert

Business Today

JACKSON -- It would be a daunting task to count the number of books that line the myriad shelves at The Book Bug & Cafe. Owner Julia Grider began placing paperbacks and hardcovers on the long lines of freshly painted shelves months before the store opened last December.

When Grider learned the owner of The Book Bug on Broadway in Cape Girardeau was going to retire last year, she and her husband, Raymond, bought the inventory, merged it with her own extensive book collection and opened a book store in Jackson.

Grider said the building needed extensive renovation, but she knew the potential existed for a book store that could easily accommodate a coffee cafe.

"Jackson didn't have a book store and coffee cafe, so we thought this would be a good addition to the city," said Grider, adding that the business is the only one in Jackson that offers live entertainment other than karaoke.

Her husband, who works at Consolidated Grain & Barge in Scott City, built shelves for the book store, and designed and built a small kitchen area that would evolve into the coffee cafe portion of the business. Many types of espressos and lattes are served.

Originally, Grider planned to add the coffee cafe after the book business had been well established. But her mother, Donna Stanley, decided to invest in the venture -- and the coffee cafe was put on the fast track.

Grider's mother also added her wide-ranging collection of books to the project, which spawned the addition of more shelves. Fiction and nonfiction abound. The business also carries new books to include recent releases.

Customers can purchase books or trade two books for one. A reading area with tables and chairs entices browsers to sit and peruse tomes.

The store has a section of children's books and Story Times are part of the scheduled events

Artwork such as paintings and pottery from local artisans is displayed, and a quilting nook exhibits a wide variety of quilting magazines and supplies. A selection of quilt blocks and fabrics are also available.

Grider said the book store/coffee cafe is rapidly becoming a gathering place for those interested in fine arts. A poetry group, open to the public, meets there two evenings a month. The Starcatchers Theatre Group sponsors an open mic night once a month, and the business hosts regional musicians.

Grider's son, Timothy, assists in the coffee cafe and espresso bar. A variety of home-made soups, salads, sandwiches and pastries are offered, as are regular and specialty coffees and espressos.