Tucked away in the heart of downtown Tallassee is a quaint shop that has become the talk of the town. The Book Nook, Tallassee’s first mainstream bookstore, opened its doors in August 2024 and quickly captured the hearts and imagination of the community.
Owned and operated by the same family trio behind the beloved ice cream shop, The Scoop, located just across the street, The Book Nook has revitalized the community with a much-needed space for book lovers of all interests.
Sisters and co-owners Samantha Segrest and Whitney Newman, both lifelong readers, eagerly jumped at the opportunity to fulfill their dream of owning a bookstore when a commercial space opened up in downtown Tallassee.
With the help of Newman’s husband, Johnny, the trio revitalized the space into a book reader’s haven.
“When we came in here and started, it was just an empty shell,” said Segrest. “Johnny was the one who fixed everything. We had 30-year-old track lighting in here, and it was awful. But fortunately, we found a way to create the shelves, and Johnny was able to save the ceiling with these beautiful lights that we have now.”
The trio worked around the clock to prepare the space for opening day, and their hard work paid off. With brand-new lighting, cozy furniture and custom-built shelving mounted to the brilliant blue walls, The Book Nook now dazzles visitors with a diverse array of genres, including thrillers, mysteries, science fiction, autobiographies and a Christian section, among many others.
True to the charm of a small bookstore, nestled among the collection of literature is a cozy reading nook that invites visitors of all ages to pick a book from the shelf and enjoy a good read.
After being open for just a few weeks, The Book Nook hosted its first romance novel-focused event – “Spicy Nite,” a sizzling evening of romance and indulgence.
“The thing we very quickly noticed is that if we wanted to pull in business, we had to give people a reason to come out,” Segrest said. “So three weeks after we opened, we did what we call Spicy Nite. We had Blue Ribbon Dairy come out and sell boozy ice cream. We had a photo booth. We had a pure romance vendor, and it was all about spicy romance.”
The turnout of attendees was beyond the sisters’ imaginations, as a line formed out the door for their first Spicy Nite event.
“We were so full, you couldn’t fit anybody else in here,” Newman said.
The romance novel night drew in a crowd from all across town, including a surprise guest and locally famed romance author by the pen name of Harper Ashley, who personally autographed her novel for Spicy Nite attendees. Spicy Nite is now an ongoing event at The Book Nook. In addition to this event, the sisters are planning midnight launches for best-selling novels, such as the upcoming release of Rebecca Yarros’ newest series book, “Fourth Wing”, in January.
The sisters update the bookstore scenery and selection of literature, adapting to the ever-changing trends to keep up with the bestselling authors and interests of the community.
Among the classic popular authors, such as Nicholas Sparks and Nora Roberts, bookstore goers also will find local literature displayed amongst the tabletop selections, including Larry Williamson’s series of books about the first and second Creek Indian Wars and Linda Lou Long’s ever-popular book, The Tuskegee Strangler.
The key for The Book Nook is to keep a variety of literature for customers at reasonable prices.
“Even though we’re a smaller store, we still get the same pricing discounts that bigger stores get. And it’s nice to be able to get all the new cutting-edge books,” said Segrest.
The sisters host two book clubs a month at The Book Nook, alternating authors and genres based on feedback from their book club members and trending topics. In addition to creating a space to discuss books, the group is open to discussing current life events and experiences with their book club members.
“We generally have a list of questions that make you think about the book. And then sometimes we talk about just life,” said Segrest. “It’s great to connect with people. If a book club conversation goes awry, and we have 45 minutes of really good conversation, then that’s awesome too.”
The heart of the bookstore was in creating an inviting space where the Tallassee community could connect.
“The goal was to make this a place where you would want to sit down and talk,” said Segrest. “People are craving human connection. We’re not trying to sell them anything. It’s a place you can just come to sit, connect and read a book.”
In addition, The Book Nook engages in community events, including candle-making classes, door mat painting sessions and charitable drives, such as book collections for children for the holidays.
“It’s just something we’re doing because we want to be a part of helping other people,” said Segrest. “It’s a really small, close-knit kind of community that’s kind of blossoming down here.”
After the successful launch of their second business, The Book Nook owners have advice for fellow entrepreneurs in the area.
“I think that for me, probably the one message I hope people get from us is, if you have an idea for a business, just do it,” said Johnny. “I think people are so intimidated by starting a business. Get together with your family or a group of friends and just do it. And talk to someone in the industry. We have small businesses everywhere, just make sure it makes sense and get it off the ground.”
At its heart, The Book Nook is a place to relax, connect with the community and lose yourself in a good book.
“It comes down to when you have a well-read community, you have a very open-minded, smart and intelligent community,” Segrest said. “And we are that community. It is here.”
This post was originally published on here
