For fans of the old Barnes & Noble store in University Park Village, a new announcement is likely a welcome sequel.
WestBend, University District’s newest retail & dining destination near the Trinity River , on June 11 announced the opening of Commonplace Books, located at 1701 River Run in Suite 181 between Bluemercury and Bartaco. Commonplace opens as a year-long pop-up with a grand opening event on Saturday, June 22.
“Trademark is thrilled to support an independent bookseller in Fort Worth, as this is the first we have signed a lease with in the last 10 years,” said Terry Montesi, CEO of Trademark Property, developer of WestBend. “Today’s consumers have a real thirst for passionate, independent retailers. Commonplace is a specialty retailer that curates the best of the new books published for its customers. I believe they will do great in Fort Worth.”
Originally from Oklahoma City, Commonplace bills itself as “a gathering spot for people who want to lead meaningful, thoughtful lives.”
It was built by a group of friends who came together over a common dream to own a bookshop that was different from other booksellers, according to a news release.
Commonplace’s collection of unique books and small goods are curated by a small, caring staff with great input from the community, operators say. Commonplace also offers an array of experiences, including: poetry readings, civic events, lectures and children’s story time. The new 1,000-square-foot shop at WestBend in Fort Worth will be Commonplace’s second location.
“We opened Commonplace in Oklahoma City in 2016, where it quickly became an anchor of community-oriented retail and food in the Midtown district,” said owner Ben Nockels. “Our roots are important, but we have always believed that Commonplace had the potential to become a network of bookstores each uniquely contextualized to its own community. That’s exactly what took place with the development group at WestBend in Fort Worth. They came to visit the original location last year, inquiring as to whether we had interest in a second location. Through a series of exploratory trips and meetings, we determined this was precisely the place – and even more importantly – the people we wanted to partner with and the next city we wished to serve. Our hope is to build inspiring relationships with our new neighbors in Fort Worth, just as we’ve done in Oklahoma City. We desire to create hubs of meaning and lasting connection.”
The grand opening event on Saturday, June 22 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., will have events including: Commonplace’s weekly tradition of Story Time for LITTLES at 10:30 a.m.
For more information on Commonplace: commonplacebooksokc.com