Hodgepodge Books & Taps — a combination tap room and bookstore answering one of life’s most pressing questions: “Why aren’t there more places to sip a microbrew while browsing new and bestselling books?” — opens in Eugene April 26, just in time for national Independent Bookstore Day.
Hodgepodge is just one of several bookstores that opened recently in Eugene after years of decline, consistent with a nationwide trend. Independent Bookstore Day is the last Saturday of April each year, an event celebrating brick-and-mortar bookstores across the country.
The new business is Sophie and Stuart Raymond’s vision, located inside a renovated vintage home, built around 1900, on 14th Avenue in Eugene.
Previously, the building housed law offices, Stuart tells Eugene Weekly in late February amid the monthslong construction project.
Hodgepodge will have two levels: books, seating and beer on the first floor, and just seating on the second level. The Raymonds have also added an accessibility ramp and a patio with tables and chairs where you can sit and drink beer outdoors.
Sophie studied creative writing at Western Washington University in Bellingham, and after she moved to Eugene, she worked at Tsunami Books.
She says her store will carry mostly new release titles with some used books mixed in.
Hodgepodge, she says, will “have a curated selection of all popular genres,” like science-fiction, fiction, nature writing, kids’ books and more, especially literature in translation, which Sophie says is her specialty.
Lately, though, Sophie says she’s reread the young adult bestselling The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins to prepare for the new prequel, Sunrise of the Reaping, released this year, signaling Hodgepodge will stock popular works for all sorts of readers.
Sophie and Stuart, who is from Seattle, met in Portland and moved to Eugene so Stuart could attend the University of Oregon School of Law (he dropped out after a few weeks, he says).
Stuart is the beer aficionado in the couple, and he says Hodgepodge will offer a rotating selection of regional microbrews.
Patrons will be able to order a beer and browse books, or sit and chat on the ground floor or upper level, with snacks from Second Breakfast Pies, a Eugene eatery selling an assortment of sweet and savory treats inspired by Hobbit cuisine from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth.
Of the beer selection, Stuart says, “Eugene has a great beer scene. I’d like to, as much as we can, stick to the local, but at the same time, keep things interesting.”
Recalling the Hodgepodge origin story, Stuart says, “Initially, I wanted to do a brewery where I brew the beer, and so, we’d always say, ‘How sick would it be to have a cute little brewery with a bookstore in it?’ And every time we drove by a building, we’d be like, ‘I bet that would make a good one.’”
He adds, “I think the more we joked about it, the more it became real. And then, things just lined up. We saw this building and it just worked out.”
Brian Juenemann is the executive and marketing director at the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, headquartered in Eugene, a nonprofit trade group representing independent bookstores in Alaska and around the Northwest.
Juenemann says there’s more bookstore energy right now in Eugene than in decades, and Hodgepodge is just one example. He says many bookstores opening in other areas have mixed revenue streams, just like Hodgepodge’s business model.
Similarly, Daffodil Romantasy Books and Gifts opened last October in the Lane Building on Willamette Street downtown in conjunction with O’My Mini Donuts.
Juenemann says Sophie and Stuart reached out to PNBA before he knew the store was in the works.
“They’re open and interested in participating in anything we can share.” With their “energy and hustle,” he says, they are building a much-needed community gathering spot by diversifying their revenue stream with taps and food.
Stuart says Hodgepodge will mark opening day and Independent Bookstore Day with a 4×4 tile painting event, which customers can paint with a “bookish” theme. Decorated tiles will be displayed around the store.
Hodgepodge Books & Taps, 158 East 14th Avenue, will be open noon to 9 pm Saturday and Sunday, April 26 and 27, opening weekend. Regular store hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 9 pm; all ages welcome. Independent Bookstore Day is Saturday, April 26, at participating independent bookstores nationwide. For a complete list of stores, including several in the Eugene-Springfield area, go to Indiebound.org. Find Hodgepodge’s online offerings at BooksAndTaps.com.