Prairie Lights Books customers will soon be able to indulge in a glass of red wine while curling up to a classic novel.
Thirty-one years after the opening of the bookstore, known for its local vibe and readings from renowned authors, owners are revamping its coffee café to add a conservative wine and beer bar, making it the only bookstore in the state operating with a liquor license.
“We just want to make a relaxing atmosphere,” said Andrew Osterhaus, the employee at Prairie Lights, 15 S. Dubuque St., heading the project. “People can come enjoy a glass of wine or coffee, read a book, or enjoy a conversation with friends.”
With construction set to be complete on Friday, the store’s upstairs nook will feature dark, wooden floors, new light fixtures, and a tall bar counter. The store’s liquor license went into effect Sept. 18, and employees will soon move in a modest selection of alcohol.
The bar will feature a wine list consisting of six reds and six whites, along with three bottled beer options. Customers will still be able to select from the many Java House items previously available, in addition to local breads, olives, cheeses, and different spreads.
Osterhaus’ idea to serve alcohol stemmed from practices of the literary society, a group of famous, writers and artists — including Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, and e.e. cummings — who met in Prairie Lights’ building during the 1930s. Then known as “The Times Club,” the group of men morphed books and brew together, and the new Prairie Lights café will adopt the original name.
“[The idea] is a little bit of a throwback to speak to our history,” Osterhaus said.
While he believes wine and literature are a good pair, other Iowa bookstores have yet to add alcohol to their coffee and juice menus, said Lynn Walding, the administrator of Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division.
The trend hasn’t quite made its way to the Midwest, but bookstore bars are more common in such larger cities as Los Angeles and New York City.
Iowa City bars and restaurants dominate requests for liquor licenses, but Walding said bookstores and many other venues are eligible to apply. Riverside Theatre and the Englert Theatre, for example, serve alcohol to patrons.
But Prairie Lights does not plan on becoming the next binge-drinking spot.
“Last call will be at 9 p.m.,” Osterhaus said. “So that’s something new Iowa City has never experienced before.”
Some local residents said they are excited about the new addition to Prairie Lights.
“I have a glass of wine at home while I study, anyway,” UI senior Alyssa Cohen said. “It’d be cool to have a place I could go.”
But others don’t see themselves studying in the new café’s atmosphere.
“I don’t typically study at places like that,” said Christie Forrer, also a UI senior, but she said she, too, likes to occasionally accompany her studies with a glass of wine in her apartment.
Still, Osterhaus is confident the bookstore’s addition will provide a warm ambiance for Prairie Lights patrons.
“I’m sure that a lot of the best books out there were written on a bottle of wine,” he said.