Book & Bottle Shop Celebrates Six Months in Downtown Hopkinsville – WKDZ

A bookstore and wine bar hybrid in downtown Hopkinsville is celebrating six months in business, with its owner reflecting on community support, unique offerings, and a mission to promote literacy and connection.
The Book & Bottle Shop opened its doors on Nov. 12, 2023, and has spent the past half-year carving out a niche as both a retail space and a gathering place.
“So we are a bookstore wine bar hybrid located in downtown Hopkinsville,” said owner Rachel Sanders. “We opened on November 12th, so we are celebrating our six-month anniversary today.”
The idea for the business came from Sanders’ love of reading and an investment opportunity that aligned with her passions.
“I'm an avid reader. I grew up loving books and we kind of came into the opportunity to invest the money, and my husband and I decided that we could invest it into a bookstore, so that's what we've done,” she said.
In addition to selling new and used books, the shop features a wine bar and small plate offerings. Sanders said combining books and wine creates “something unique for Hopkinsville.”
She also sees her business as part of a national resurgence in reading.
“We are in the middle of a little bit of a bookstore boom in the United States pretty much since post-COVID-19,” Sanders said. “There’s been a ton of bookstores opening because there was a resurgence of reading during the pandemic.”
But for Sanders, being an independent bookstore is especially important.
“For us it's not just a bookstore in general, but it is an independent bookstore specifically,” she said. “Not only does it provide an opportunity for people to have access to books and literature and reading materials, but oftentimes they become a community hub for discussion and learning.”
The shop regularly hosts events such as wine and food pairings, local author showcases, and a monthly poetry night. They also partner with groups like Friends of the Library and the genealogy department to highlight Hopkinsville’s history and culture.
“We do a lot of different events and we invite people out to experience community together in different ways,” Sanders said. “The more literacy we can get into the community is always a good thing.”
The Book & Bottle Shop also welcomes outside book clubs to meet in the space at no charge and currently hosts a twice-monthly silent book club.
“We encourage folks to just bring a book of their choice and sit and read together for an hour,” she said. “And then we have a discussion time afterwards about what everyone's reading. It's been a great way to connect with the people who are already reading in the community.”
Used books at the store are supplied through community donations. In return, customers are offered incentives.
“If you have books laying around your house that you don't really have space for anymore and you want them put to good use, we do stock them in our used section,” Sanders said. “Or if we think it's something we can't sell, we'll use it for decorations and things. We do offer a coupon system for that. So if you bring in five books or more, you get a free glass of wine, 10 books or more, and you get a free book.”
For the six-month celebration, the shop is offering a “recommendation roundup,” where customers share their favorite books and staff suggest their next read.
Sanders said the support from the Hopkinsville community has been strong since opening day.
“We were truly overwhelmed when we first opened just with the amount of community support that’s been happening,” she said. “Lots of people come in to check the shop out. And we have a really strong group of regulars that come out for pretty much anything we do and we love them.”
As she looks ahead, Sanders said she hopes to keep growing the shop’s presence and continue building community connections.
“My goal for the next year is to make sure everyone in Hopkinsville knows what the Book and Bottle Shop is,” she said, “and just continue to, you know, grow and meet more people and, yeah, establish ourselves.”