If you are a coffee drinker, dissatisfied with the campus coffee selection, or someone tired of hanging out at the same spot every night, the newly opened Scribbles Cafe ‘ Bookstore could be your answer.
Scribbles has a variety of coffee, tea and espresso drinks including the White Chocolate Cherry Delight and the Black and White Mocha.
Besides the drinks, Scribbles has over 7,000 volumes of used books available for half the original purchase price and new books for full price.
Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble, and chess are also available for your entertainment.
“This is a good place to come to get books, get coffee, and hang out,” said Rodney Wilson, part owner and NKU alumnus.
Wilson is one of Scribbles’ four owners.
The other three owners include Wilson’s parents, Sandy and Ralph, and his wife, Carla.
Wilson graduated from Northern in 2000 and majored in English with an emphasis in literature. He was a free-lance writer before starting his own business.
“It is always more rewarding running your own ship and also encouraging,” he said. “The community has embraced us. People that haven’t seen each other in years have come to meet here. We are kind of the hitching post.”
The idea of being their own boss intrigued the family, who spend about 95 hours a week at the shop.
Although the Wilson’s original goal was to build a shop for servicing NKU students, finding a location was a problem.
They found an abandoned bank 5.6 miles from campus in need of a makeover.
The Wilsons renovated the building adding new floor tiles and paint.
The back room was transformed into a bookshop, decorated with reading chairs and rugs.
Scribbles is not only a meeting place for locals. It is also a place for aspiring artists to feature their artwork.
Chris Plummer, an art major who recently graduated from Northern, is the featured artist of the month for January.
In March, NKU student Jon Willis will serve as featured artist. Willis has negotiated with the Wilsons to feature his and his classmate’s artwork in the shop.
Wilson said he also hopes to have musicians play every weekend.
“We know a lot of musicians so we plan to showcase our friends, just some low key acoustic stuff,” he said.
Wilson encourages musicians and artists, who are interested in sharing their talent, to contact him about sharing their talents with the shop’s patrons.
Open mic nights are also a possibility for poetry readings.