Bookworms and wine lovers are in for a treat as downtown’s newest tenant prepares to open later this year. 

Kellie Artis is the owner of Bound & Vine, a new independent bookstore and wine bar coming to downtown Fayetteville. Artis and her family originally moved to Fayetteville because her husband is in the Army. Now that he’s retiring from the military, they’ve decided to stay in the community that has grown to feel like home to them. 

Artis was first introduced to the concept of a business that pairs books with wine while browsing social media. Being an avid reader herself, Artis was drawn to this unique model that pairs two things that bring people together. 

“I just was like, ‘I wish we could have something nice like that in Fayetteville. Why don’t we have something nice like that in Fayetteville?’... And I said, ‘You know what, if we’re gonna be here and we’re gonna put down roots, let's put down actual roots and stop complaining and actually create the space that we complain that we don’t have,’” stated Artis.

Artis shared that she put out a survey to gauge interest in the community and the response was overwhelmingly positive. After some additional research, Artis decided she was ready to dive in and see things through. She’s now signed a lease in downtown Fayetteville, and the build-out of the store will begin soon.

Located in the former event venue known as The Capitol Room at 134 Person St., the 1400 square-foot space is being renovated to include a bar, seating area and 10-foot tall bookshelves with a library ladder. Artis shared that they hope to offer patio seating in the future as well. 

Artis shared that she’s completed training on bookselling, entrepreneurship and opening a business to help prepare her to run the store. With experience working in retail and marketing, she is confident in her ability to operate this shop successfully. 

“It’s something different. The idea is that I want people to come discover their new read, [to] be exposed to new books, or maybe the book they’ve been seeking out. It’s definitely for the buyer that wants to support small, local, independent booksellers…it’s mostly about community. So being able to invite people to come make those discoveries in a cozy, aesthetically pleasing, amazing kind of vibe, with other people or by themselves, either way, and then the wine is just encouraging folks to linger and stay and enjoy themselves and escape. And also, it’s like two of my favorite things, so what better to do that than put them together,” remarked Artis. 

There will be nonalcoholic beverages available for customers as well. Artis shared that she herself will be “booktending,” making sure that customers receive the pages and the pours they come for. 

The shop will also host events and collaborate with local authors. Artis hopes to tap into the rich arts community in Fayetteville to highlight creatives in the area. From book signings to speaking events and even opportunities for new authors to get acquainted with the world of publishing, Artis aims for Bound & Vine to be a place for readers, writers and everyone in between. 

“We’re going to offer folks an opportunity to become a certain level of member at the space that would unlock certain benefits. There’ll be discounts on merchandise and books. There’ll be preferential registration for events that are coming up. We’ve got some neat seating areas that we might unlock for certain membership levels and then book recommendations–so our highest tier will actually have a monthly [club] called the ‘First Edition Club,’ and we’ll be curating and selecting books monthly for each individual member,” explained Artis. 

Early bird membership launch is set for July 1. The store is expected to open in early fall. 

Keep up with Bound & Vine’s progress towards opening by following the business on Facebook: www.facebook.com/boundandvine and Instagram: www.instagram.com/boundandvine.