Inside Red Stick Reads’ new, larger home, with a coffee bar, cozy seating and more

Beloved independent bookstore Red Stick Reads is back and bigger than ever. The shop recently moved from its South Eugene Street digs, but it’s staying in Mid City. The new store debuted Friday, May 10, for the neighborhood’s Hot Art Cool Nights event. It’s inside a warehouse spot at 3829 Government St., behind Baton Rouge Music Studios.

The new space, which sat empty for almost 20 years, boasts almost double the square footage of Red Stick Reads’ original location. Husband-and-wife duo and owners James and Tere Hyfield have worked to fill it with more reads, book-themed and locally made merchandise, and a coffee bar that they hope to get running by the end of the month. 

“First and foremost, for me, the most important thing has always been about being cozy and keeping this place comfortable and inviting,” Tere says. “We wanted a division between adults and kids, and I wanted it to be comfortable and cozy. So those were the sole, overriding things.” 

Inside, book lovers can find what they’re looking for spread across display tables and emerald shelves. Chalkboard labels identify genres and also feature the shop’s new mascot, a baby-pink bookworm with red reading glasses. (Tere says the worm will be named later with shoppers’ input, but Webster and Winston are current frontrunners.)

Music ranging from classic rock to modern indie plays at the perfect volume for shoppers to bump to—and for eager readers to tune out, of course. 

Toward the back is an expanded children’s area, where weekend story times will take place. At the front, there’s a section stocked with stickers, Red Stick Reads tees, bookmarks, plushies and other non-book buys.

The store’s counter houses its register along with refrigerated drinks and a coffee bar. Beans for coffee will be sourced from local roaster Smoky Bean Roasting Co., and accompanying baked goods will be stocked from makers like CounterspaceBR and Mid City Bakery.

“I always wanted to have food and coffee as an element to tie in with the bookstore idea, but the last place was just not conducive,” James says. 

Tere adds, “We haven’t fleshed this out completely, but it will be a fairly simple menu, and then we’ll kind of build on that.”

Soon, patrons will be able to enjoy their latest titles while sipping caffeinated concoctions after taking a comfy seat in one of the store’s reading nooks. Each has cushy pillows for readers to sink into and a small table for belongings and beverages. The booths are decorated with local art and will eventually be adorned with meaningful photos and more. Tere says a cozy cutout between the mystery and horror sections is her current favorite.  

Tere says the extra space also allows for better flow during days with programming like author events. Shelves on wheels help to either open up the floor or close off the children’s area so story times can take place without taking over the entire shop. More room also means an office space, a bigger restroom, and a section for workshops and meetings dubbed The Room of Requirement, a nod to a space inside the Hogwarts castle in Harry Potter. 

“The first time we walked in (this location), it was nothing,” Tere says. “It was a box with no electricity, no bathroom, no AC. Nothing. It was scary to walk to the back of it. … Now, this is like a breath of fresh air. I feel like it’s a fresh start.”

While Red Stick Reads’ current location is new, it is filled with homages to its original home. Old shelves built by James are tucked against the wall along with the swanky new green ones he made for this location. Eagle-eyed fans might also notice a familiar “Let’s read” sign at the back of the store or the old faux fireplace now inside The Room of Requirement. A portion of the front counter is made from the shop’s former checkout area, Tere says. The duo hopes to continue to expand its outdoor area with seating similar to its first spot, and Tere also hopes to start a garden outside. 

The bookstore formerly shared a building with growing jewelry brand Mimosa Handcrafted. When the Mimosa team needed more space, the Hyfields began a hunt to look for another suitable Mid City location that was within budget. Red Stick Reads’ last day on South Eugene Street was April 26. It went out with a bang, selling a lot of its old inventory during the first Baton Rouge Book Crawl, an Independent Bookstore Day celebration hosted alongside other Capital Region shops. 

James and Tere signed their lease for the space last summer. Facing various roadblocks and delays, Tere says she wasn’t sure they’d be ready for the grand opening last week—but everything came together in the final push just in time for the 10 a.m. opening. Even a dreary, rain-soaked day couldn’t keep the bookshop’s eager fans away. (Tere even adds that Red Stick Reads’ first-ever pop-up happened during a “pouring, torrential rain.”) The Hyfields stayed open until 10 p.m. on opening night, as Hot Art Cool Nights brought in plenty of new and old faces. And as the cherry on top, a couple got engaged in the new stacks. Talk about a love story. 

“The girl is a horror fan, so he wanted to propose to her in that section,” Tere says. “So in that little booth, I’m going to put a picture of them.” 

The Red Stick Reads team agrees that moments like that are what make operating a shop in Mid City so great. 

“In my opinion, Baton Rouge is fickle in where they shop,” James says. “But I find in this area, you have a greater amount of small businesses, mom-and-pops, people like us. … It’s a cool community to be a part of.” 

Tere adds, “I really feel like our people are here.” 

Red Stick Reads is at 3829 Government St. and is open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Find more info here.