Hidden between the shops on Johnson Drive, with colorful plastic chairs and a brightly lit ‘open’ sign decorating the outside of the store, The Book Store was inviting from the outside. The bell jingled as I opened the door into an open, naturally lit room.
To my right were bookshelves lined with colorful books from various authors, available for reading or purchase, and to my left, there was a large green menu board and seating area.
The Book Club combines a casual bookstore with a cozy cafe for getting coffee and pastries. It opened on Sept. 25, and is open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.
The menu is much more extensive than the usual drip coffee and stale pastries that bookstores typically offer.
Even though this was a bookstore, there were many options for coffee, other drinks — such as chai lattes, matcha lattes and London fogs — bakery items, sandwich options and even small plates and salads. Additionally, drinks were available to be customized with different syrups, milk alternatives, extra espresso shots and cold foam.
Simple, yet effective Halloween decorations helped brighten the plain-colored decorations that had already been planted throughout the store.
To start my order, I got my usual mid-day cafe order — an iced chai latte with oat milk and vanilla cold foam. For 16 ounces, the $5.75 drink wasn’t too pricey.
When I took the first sip, it was more like I was drinking a chai-scented candle instead of a latte. The sweetness was very overpowering and was watered down the second it was handed to me. It tasted like an artificial sweetener — half water, half milk with cinnamon sprinkled on top, not a chai.
The classic spice flavor of the chai wasn’t present, and even though the drink was satisfactory after my full day of school, it wasn’t exceptional at all.
Since the assorted bakery items weren’t on the big green menu on the left side of the wall, I had to ask the worker taking my order what to get.
I decided on a cinnamon roll, and only 10 seconds after paying and walking away from the counter, my name was called.
It was given to me on a small, green plate and I was guided over to a silverware counter to get plastic utensils.
Although not freshly out of the oven, the cinnamon roll was a solid bakery item to pick at while reading through a book. The dry flakes of dough paired with the gooey icing, and the sprinkled cinnamon on top was just enough to get the flavor across.
Different from the chai, the cinnamon roll wasn’t overly sweet. And even though I would prefer to stick my store-bought can of cinnamon rolls into my oven at home, I still enjoyed it.
The comforting atmosphere and the seating throughout the open room made for the ideal place to sit down and read a book.
The Book Club is a wonderful addition to the shops on Johnson Drive. Anytime I’m in need of a place to settle down and finish a book and purchase my next one, I will be making the 5-minute drive here.
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