Uptown Saint John's new bookstore café aims for 'cosy, homey vibe,' owners say

A new bookstore and coffee shop set to open in Market Square hopes to create a space for people to write and to connect writers and readers.

Amanda Evans and Shannon Dykens plan to open the Write Cup, which will be a non-profit venture, in February. It's an extension of their company, Partridge Island Publishing, which has released a number of story anthologies based in the Port City.

Right now, they are painting, assembling shelves, installing furniture, and setting up the venue for its opening day. 

"We're going for a cosy, homey vibe, where you feel like you're coming into your own living room," Dykens said.

"Yes, there'll be lots and lots and lots of bookshelves. But we also have comfortable furniture, nice little seating areas. We will have a big harvest table where we will be having our writing meetings."

They say that the credit for opening the business should be given to the community that they have built and the friends that they've developed.  

"What makes this unique is the fact that we have found a family, an ever growing family, that everybody wants to come in, they want to be part of this," Evans said. Their coffee will be from the Fredericton-based Whitney Coffee Company and Have Fun Coffee from Dartmouth. 

The plan is to be a hub for readers and have the largest collection of works by Atlantic Canadians in the area.

They will also have knitting groups and board games, and are very open to listening to suggestions from customers. 

"Having a bookstore and a café … for us to be solely focused on Atlantic Canada, the authors that come out of this region, to have the books available and to have the café truly integrated in the bookstore, that is truly unique," Dykens said. 

 The shop will have all kinds of writing-related features for those who want to spend time working on their craft.

"We have a gumball machine that we're filling with prompts, so you can get a prompt of the day," Dykens said. A prompt, or writing prompt, is a common tool used to inspire stories by providing a specific cue or focus to an author.

"Shannon and I are brilliant, probably the two smartest people in the entire world," Evans joked, "but we can't think of all the ideas, so we do want the community involved. We want you to be comfortable. We want you to feel like you're at home."

They also plan to help forge connections. 

"Even if we can't publish a book, we will help you," she said. "We'll give you a list of publishers that are accepting in your genre," she said.

"How can we help is something that we say quite a lot. 'How can we help? Do you need editors? Do you need art? What do you need?' Tell us how we can help because we just want to help."

Birth of a small press

For Evans and Dykens, this new enterprise is part of a larger plan they hatched after they met at a local writing group called Write Now in 2019 and "clicked immediately," said Dykens. 

When the group decided to write a collection of stories set in Saint John, the two quickly decided to go into business together and publish it themselves. After making this decision, they founded Partridge Island Publishing. 

This past summer, the pair ran a store at Area 506 Container Village on Saint John's waterfront, and Dykens said a permanent space was the next logical step.

"It was always our goal to have a bookstore in five years and we accomplished that in just under four years, she said. "We turn six in May. So we've met our goals so far." 

Because of the connections they have developed through Partridge Island Publishing, several local writing groups, including Write Now, Saint John Writes, and Saint John Voices, plan to hold weekly or biweekly meetings at the Write Cup when it opens. They say the community support that they have built is enabling the transition. 

"Everything we get from the Partridge Island side, even from the Write Cup side, gets reinvested," Evans said.

After paying off the expenses of opening the café, the proceeds will fund writer's workshops, organizing events, buying supplies, and hosting various programs.

They said the cost of opening the café was funded by a combination of earnings, grants, and donations. 

A backroom of the Write Cup will serve as the new office for Partridge Island Publishing. Through the front window, customers can look out at the Saint John Free Public Library, which will continue to host larger readings and special events when the 40-seat café doesn't have the space.

Both Evans and Dykens will be transitioning to work on the café full time, allowing them to turn their passion into a career.

Though they are thrilled about it, the opening day is coming very quickly.

"It's really, it's really hitting us now that whole, 'man, we're really doing this.' Like, there's no turning back now," said Dykens.