“When a bar and a bookstore are the two places you frequent the most you notice how much they have in common,” laughed Linden Marno-Ferree, owner of a new Chattanooga business called The Reading Room.
When it comes to bookstores and bars, Linden’s an expert. During her time in Boston she worked at the world famous Harvard Bookstore. In Washington DC she worked at Politics and Prose, where local celebrities like Michelle Obama and Bill Clinton would stop in to promote their books. “I really liked being a bookseller, but it didn’t pay very well.”
And so she eventually left the world of bookstores and made the switch to restaurants. “My mom was a chef, my partner now is a chef. Everyone around me is a chef. I started as a host and in a year and a half, worked my way up to lead bartender.”
But over the years she never gave up her dream of one day opening a book bar. “I always thought the two were really compatible. You can dive into something, spend time with friends, be alone, invest yourself intellectually, escape the world, zone out. They’re both an oasis.”
In 2018 Linden took steps to realize her dream. “I decided to move to a city with the long term goal of opening The Reading Room. I always loved the South but never lived there. I was looking for somewhere that wasn’t too big but wasn’t too small. Something diverse enough with great outdoor opportunities. Chattanooga was the one place that checked all the boxes.”
The next big step came through an unexpected partnership with the Downtown Public Library. “I have a couple friends who work at the library, and they let me know about the Library Foundation. They have a massive supply of books that are donations and discards from their own stacks.” Some of those books are sold during their quarterly book sales, but their supplies have continued to pile up.
And so they joined forces. For the last few months the library and Linden have partnered for a series of pop-up events. By selling the library’s old books she’s been able to pack the shelves with books, create a charming aesthetic, and provide the Library with a source of revenue.
After running a successful Kickstarter Campaign she’s made plans to open a permanent location next year in Old Town Brainerd just through the tunnel. She plans on cozy lounge seating with armchairs and library-style tables with dim lights. “I want to have rugs and trinkets and things to make it feel like a mix between a dingy bookstore and a cool dive bar. But funky and weird like an artist’s living room.”
The Reading Room’s next pop-up will be held Friday, December 13th at the historic St. Elmo Fire Hall at 4501 St Elmo Ave. The event will also feature live music from Dalton Mills and The New Quintet. Doors will open at 7, and music will start at 8. There is a $15 cover charge which goes to the musicians.