Ho dubbed Bibliotheque. Part bookstore, part cafe, and part wine bar, Bibliotheque not only invites book lovers to browse its over 10,000 books, including both modern and rare editions, but also provides a space in which to read, write, and socialise.  The store, which covers approximately 2,000 square feet, was brought to life by Mary Evans, an architect and designer within the Casals Evans Design Group. Inside the shop, there are walls upon walls of books as well as crystal chandeliers (yes, plural) and elegantly plump chairs and couches to read upon. A father-son book-loving duo Bibliotheque was founded by Dr Andrew Jacono, a plastic surgeon, and his son AJ Jacono, a writer. Both are avid book lovers and during the pandemic, they craved a space that catered both to their literary interests as well as the desire for human connection.  The two saw an opportunity to create a reading experience that combined aspects of an independent bookstore, wine bar, and elevated social gathering all together. “The charm of the indie bookstore is that it feels boutique and I think people are kind of tired of the corporate bookstore, I certainly am,” the younger Jacono told Inside Retail. “I go into a Barnes & Noble and I don’t feel like it’s home. I feel like I’m just there to make a transaction.” That’s not to say Bibliotheque doesn’t care about selling books. “That’s the whole point of it, but we present it in a way that is more palatable to the person coming in and they feel like they’re coming in to engage in an experience rather than just come in and buy something,” he said. The writer-turned-store owner has been in the literary industry for almost 20 years as a novelist and the founder and managing editor of the literary journal The Spotlong Review. He explained that with his in-depth knowledge of the readers’ market and his father’s business acumen as a successful celebrity plastic surgeon, as well as his in-depth knowledge of the New York hospitality scene, the two were an ideal match for creating a spot like Bibliotheque.  The elder Jacono, Andrew, funded the launch business, and the store officially opened in December. So far, it has been performing better than expected.  The co-founders hired a social media manager, whose first reel of the store generated over 4 million views, helping turn Bibliotheque into an “overnight” success story. “One day we were not that busy and the next day we literally could not keep up with the amount of people who were coming,” the younger Jacono said. What’s next in store for Bibliotheque At the time the interview was conducted, the younger Jacono expected the store to break even within the first three months of being open.  Since going viral on social media, he said that investors are “begging” to be a part of the project, which will come in handy when he and his father eventually expand the store.  Having studied French and lived in Paris at one point, he hopes to open a Bibliotheque location in the country that inspired the store’s name.  Bibliotheque is the French word for ‘library’ or simply a collection of books, and seeing how popular the store has become in a relatively short amount of time, it would not be surprising to see this American-born shop go international sooner rather than later.  In addition to selling books, the store will continue to host a variety of public and private events, ranging from author events to public reading sessions to small concerts.