Looking for a neighborhood book bar? Skylight is opening a bookstore cafe in Eagle Rock
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- Beloved Los Feliz indie bookstore Skylight Books is expanding with a second location opening this fall, marking growth for the 30-year-old cultural hub.
- The new Eagle Rock location at 1958 Colorado Blvd. will be 6,000 square feet and feature a cafe and expanded book selection.
- The expansion thrilled L.A.’s literary community, with acclaimed authors including Emma Straub and Mark Haskell Smith celebrating the announcement on social media.
Los Feliz neighborhood gem Skylight Books is opening a second location in Eagle Rock.
The storied bookseller posted the announcement on social media last week, writing, “We just signed a lease on this lovely space at 1958 Colorado Blvd., and hope to open this fall. It’s nearly 6,000 square feet and will have room for a cafe!”
“Don’t worry — we’re not leaving Los Feliz,” the post continued. “This location will be in addition to our current home, where we’ll be celebrating 30 years this fall.”
Nestled in the heart of Los Feliz, the original Skylight Books has solidified its standing as a cultural hub of L.A.’s east side. Passing by on a random weeknight, one might see an overflow of patrons spilling onto Vermont Avenue, as the shop regularly hosts authors to discuss their new books. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Sympathizer,” Viet Thanh Nguyen, made an appearance there last month, and Pulitzer Prize finalist Xochitl Gonzalez is expected to stop by to discuss her new book, “Last Night in Brooklyn,” on April 27.
In a survey of writers, the Los Feliz fixture came out on top. Skylight’s secret? Fundraising, business acumen, a prime spot and lots of local love.
In the comments section of Skylight’s post announcing the big news, the who’s who of L.A.’s literati popped the proverbial champagne.
“Finally I can walk to Skylight,” replied Mark Haskell Smith. “Wow!” added Tod Goldberg. “This is about to change my whole life,” wrote Attica Locke. Emma Straub chimed in, “OMG!!!!!!,” and Rosecrans Baldwin left some emojis: clinking bubbly glasses to toast the news.
Mary Williams, the bookstore’s co-owner and general manager, told The Times this week that the team at Skylight was blown away by the response online.
“It really was kind of thrilling to see this thing that we’ve been working on for a couple months, finally getting to share it with the world, and seeing everyone get so excited about it,” she said. “So I really can’t wait to open and invite everyone in.”
While the Los Feliz shop is around 3,500 square feet, the new Eagle Rock digs are significantly larger. The location has been home to various eateries over the years — most recently, Cheebo — and Skylight will have to bring in some construction powerhouses to tear out a massive pizza oven and commercial kitchen to make way for the books.
“It’s going to be a bigger store than we have here in Los Feliz,” Williams said. “There’s room for a cafe, which is going to be the big difference, and we’re hoping to add a beer and wine license to that as well, and, of course, plenty of room for lots of books.”
Aside from Eagle Rock’s forthcoming cafe, and the massive ficus tree that will remain unique to the Los Feliz location, Williams hopes the two stores won’t be so different at all.
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“Our goal is really to take what we’re already doing in Los Feliz and bring it to another neighborhood that would welcome that kind of curation, which is why Eagle Rock could be a good fit for us,” she said.
“We will tweak the proportions of sections. Some might be bigger, some might be smaller, especially after we open, and kind of see what people are responding to in the neighborhood,” she said. “But the goal really is for Skylight to be Skylight, no matter which location you’re in.”
Williams said the goal is to open the Eagle Rock store in late October. “Our architect told us that’s a pretty ambitious timeline, but we’re going for it,” she said. “We’re moving as fast as we can.”
Skylight will keep customers updated on Eagle Rock news via its social media accounts and newsletter.
This weekend, acclaimed authors Bess Kalb, Stephen Graham Jones, Luke Goebel, Chiara Barzini, Jose Pimienta, Justin Torres, Rachel Khong and Nate DiMeo will sign books at the Skylight Books booth at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.
