A small, family-owned business, The Book Lounge will officially open to the public on Nov. 8 in a celebration that will take place from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Photo by Julia Birdsall | The Crow’s Nest
By Julia Birdsall
A love of reading has been passed down through several generations of the Calleja family, and all of it has manifested in The Book Lounge, a new local bookstore opening in downtown St. Petersburg this month.
Natalya Calleja and her whole team, including her daughter and co-owner, Pamela, a University of South Florida St. Petersburg student, have been working to prepare The Book Lounge for its opening ceremony on Nov. 8.
“What I wanted is [for] this team to reflect that diversity and different vibe that St. Pete has,” Natalya said. “I wanted our people, our community and our customers to see themselves in our staff.”
The store can also be a resource for other students on the St. Petersburg campus, Natalya said, noting that students will have the space to focus and do homework or come, have fun and meet new people.
She has also worked to ensure that the prices of food and drinks at the store are reasonable for college students.
“I’m trying to keep it so that it is affordable for everyone to come, sit and relax with us,” she said.
Though the store only offers fiction books, it also offers a temporary escape from the stressors of life, according to Natalya.
“I think reading fiction and putting your[self] in somebody else’s shoes or leading a different life or seeing how other authors tell their stories and putting yourself in that situation, I think it changes you, one way or another,” Natalya said, because it promotes empathy.
Fostering empathy has been at the core of Natalya’s mission when dreaming up The Book Lounge, and she has brought together a team of five employees who she believes can help achieve this goal.
The business began in early 2024, when Pamela, a freshman global business major at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, began selling blind dates with books – a mystery bag that includes curated stickers and candy – at markets.
This venture was so successful that Pamela was able to save significant amounts of money, some of which she used to invest in The Book Lounge alongside her mother, Natalya Calleja.
Natalya told The Crow’s Nest that the idea behind the bookstore came from a love of reading that was passed down from her mother to her, and that she passed on to Pamela and her other daughters.
The influence of family can be found in every corner of the store, from the book that Natalya received as a gift from her grandfather that is on display in the store and acts as “good luck,” to the wall of board games that Natalya’s other daughter, Camilla Calleja, helped curate, inspired by the family’s ongoing tradition of game nights.
They want to foster this same type of connection for members of the St. Petersburg community, which is why they intend to host community game nights every Thursday.
Photo by Julia Birdsall | The Crow’s Nest
Another way that she’s working towards including the St. Petersburg community in her store is by dedicating a bookshelf to local and independent authors, as well as hosting two independent author book signings every month, beginning in January.
Though she lived in the Tampa Bay area for decades, Natalya only recently moved to St. Petersburg. It has always been a dream of hers because, as a Hispanic woman, she feels that the community is a safe place for her and her children.
The move has also made it easier for Pamela to attend USF St. Petersburg. She first began her journey selling books as a way to prepare her for a business degree and Natalya believes that the classes Pamela is taking will “complement real time exercise” at The Book Lounge.
Photo by Julia Birdsall | The Crow’s Nest
After the permanent closing of another family owned and operated bookstore, Haslam’s Book Store, St. Petersburg residents were concerned.
“Hope someone buys it and reopens soon… we really miss that place,” a user wrote on a Reddit thread about the store.
The Book Lounge, then, might be an exciting development for residents.
A preview event was hosted on Oct. 28, at which The Book Lounge received overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees, said Natalya.
Soon, The Book Lounge will be open as a vibrant space for community gathering and fun. It is “more than a bookstore,” said the store’s website, and Natalya, her family and her team “hope it becomes your new favorite place in Downtown St. Pete.”
