Lindsay Smith, a former teacher and Naples resident of over 20 years, has always had a romantic notion of owning a bookstore visitors couldn’t find anywhere else.
But, for years, it stayed just that, a dream. That is until her teenager suggested she go for it on New Year’s Day 2025 with her friend Shan O’Fee-Byrom.
“I though about for maybe three minutes and texted Shan and then we were texting back and forth and back and forth and within a couple of days we’re looking at real estate,” Smith said.
By May they were signing a lease for a second-floor space on Third Street South in downtown Naples. In October, they were open for business selling new releases, classics and special editions.
“From the start we always wanted it to be a bookstore that you could only find in Naples,” O’Fee-Byrom said. “We wanted it to be a place that people could come and they would feel that it was perfectly fit for Naples.”
And part of creating that atmosphere, they said, was a great design aesthetic, something colorful and bright. And that it is, with green and white built-in book shelves with elaborate designs, and black and white floors, transporting visitors into a different world as soon as they walk in the door.
“We wanted it to have a cool beachy feel and something special where kids would feel enchanted by the store,” O’Fee Byrom said. A small beach hut in the kids section gives the store’s youngest visitors a place to hide out and explore the book offerings.
But, the store also had to have space for community events. “We planned around the idea that we wanted to gather groups of people,” O’Fee Byrom said.
Those guiding principles is what led them to the perfect location on Third Street South in downtown Naples, the center of the community in many ways.
“We said downtown or bust, either we could make it work financially, space-wise, or not,” Smith said about their search for real estate.
The ‘living room’ is a highlight of Books on Third’s Naples space
Originally the pair was not open to a second-floor location, but once they saw the space, they knew it was right. Then, they got right to work in building the store they had always imagined.
For O’Fee-Bryom, the best place in the store is what they call “the living room,” an intimate gathering place with a sofa, chairs and even a faux fireplace.
“I love that people can sit and relax and enjoy time,” she said about the area.
That area came with a big risk in the designing process, Smith said, because it took a lot of retail space away from the store.
“If you put a sofa and chairs, you’re losing a place to stack more books,” Smith said. “But, we really felt like it was important, and I think we’re far enough along now that we could say we made the right choice.”
Naples readers finding their way to new bookstores at Third Street South
And, now, halfway through Books on Third’s first Naples offseason, one of the most extreme in the country, those design choices and business plans have paid off, with the store still going strong in the absence of Naples’ seasonal population.
“There are a lot of folks in town are still just discovering us,” O’Fee-Byrom said. “We feel, actually, really optimistic and excited for how our first summer has started out.”
The store has taken advantage of the quieter months to connect with locals and bring them into the store through book and community events, like author talks and a morning yoga series.
“We have a really vibrant events calendar and always something different going on,” Smith said. “No matter what your interest is, we probably at some point have an event that would be something that you might like to come to.”
But, all of it, wouldn’t be possible without the outpouring of support they have found in the Naples community, the pair said.
They often hear customers say they came to Books on Third, instead of a place like Barnes & Noble, because they want it to stay in business and they want to support the store, which is one of only two independent bookstores in Naples.
“Independent bookstores are places nationwide where it just reinforces the importance of shopping local,” O’Fee-Byrom said. “Your dollar actually impacts the city of Naples and Collier County when you shop with us.”
Almost all of the money spent at Books on Third stays in the Naples community.
You can reach Naples Daily News reporter Alexa Ryan by emailing Alexa.Ryan@naplesnews.com. Follow her on Instagram @alexaryanreports or X @AlexaRyan_.
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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Halfway through its first offseason, new Naples bookstore is a dream come true
Reporting by Alexa Ryan, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Alexa Ryan, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
