History
The current home of Stately Raven Bookstore was originally built for Immanuel Lutheran Church in the 1940s. After the church outgrew the building and moved to their new location on Northridge Road, the building housed various other congregations, and in 2006 was most recently the home of Word of Life Christian Church. Mike Cole often passed the building as he took his daughters ice skating at the University of Findlay's Koehler Ice Arena, and was impressed by its interesting gothic style architecture. Cole had previously authored several children's books, but was eager to put his plans to open a bookstore that Findlay could be proud of into motion, he made an offer and purchased the building in July 2006. Raised in the Findlay area, he wanted to offer the public a bookstore that was unique. "I want the store to be deeply rooted in the community" says Cole.
Inspired by the architecture of the building and Edgar Allen Poe's famous poem "The Raven", Cole chose to call it Stately Raven Bookstore. "He's one of the most famous American writers of all time, and we wanted the building to have a literary inspiration. It seemed like a natural fit," Cole says. With his inspiration in mind, he began renovations in November 2006. An addition was built onto the back side of the building, which now serves as the main entrance and the great room of the store. The great room offers comfortable sofas surrounding a mosaic tiled wood burning fireplace. Local craftsmen provided the woodwork, from the spiral staircase to the beautiful wood entry doors, as well as the metal railings and the tile work on the fireplace. A beautiful custom made curved stairway connects the addition to the old portion of the building. The old world charm of the gothic windows and bell tower add to the mystique of the surroundings. The children's department fills the basement of the old part of the building, where pre-school story time is held twice weekly. Rocking chairs and comfortable floor cushions are provided for the comfort of those attending. Nearly a year later, Stately Raven Bookstore opened for business in August 2007, just days before the big "flood of 2007" hit Findlay. The grand opening celebration was held on September 22, 2007.
Mural artist Beth Covert completed the interior of the building with her whimsical wall and ceiling murals. Above the "Poe Fireplace" you will find a framed piece featuring an imagined gathering of famous artists. The "Weird Room" ceiling is covered with spooky and science fiction depictions from wall to wall. On the front of the "Reading Loft" is a mural of a bookshelf which displays books, maps and scientific instruments. Lining the stairway leading up the loft is a Sherlock Holmes inspired mystery played out on a London street scene. In the loft the built-in cabinets are painted with imaginary bookshelves filled with travel related books and mementos, and includes a portrait of Poe himself. The artwork has a depth to it that leads to customers often touching the painted lace sticking out of the drawer before realizing that it isn't fabric, but paint.
Stately Raven Bookstore has always been about more than just selling books. From author visits and book signings to writing contests, movie nights, book clubs, children's story time, and parties, the bookstore is designed to be "a very community-centered place". The Stately Raven has hosted people of every age from elementary classes to college discussion groups, even senior citizens' book clubs. These meetings are held at the bookstore free of charge, but a reservation is required.
Opening with 17,000 titles and continually expanding to the current 23,000 titles, Stately Raven staff members are experienced at searching and finding books that are not within the inventory. Customers are encouraged to call or stop in with their requests. Most special orders can be received within a few days of ordering. In addition to just about every genre of books including a large selection of bargain books, the store also offers multiple gift type items including toys and jigsaw puzzles, greeting cards, notepads, bookmarks, and delicious dried soup mixes. New to the store is a selection of flavored tea bags and loose tea selling under the store's own label, and custom made mugs with the store photo or logo imprinted on it. Also available is loose tea from the Swan House, a local Victorian tea room.
The Stately Raven Bookstore experience is one that continues to draw people from within Findlay as well as from all over the state. Ohio Magazine proclaimed it the "Best Spot to Read a Good Book" and highlighted it's "one-of-a-kind setting".
