Diary of a Wimpy Kid series creator Jeff Kinney and his wife Julie will be moving forward with the development of their new bookstore. In an interview with The Atlantic, the couple discussed their plans for this new retail project. Ideally, this bookstore and café will allow the people of Plainville, Massachusetts to enjoy physical books and a variety of activities (e.g. jewelry workshops, karaoke, wine tastings) so that it becomes a community space.
For Kinney (pictured, via), “a physical book has a heft, a permanence that you don’t get digitally. So our hope is that the bookstore will remain a vital, important part of communities across the country and the world. We hope that the disappearance of such stores has leveled off.”
When asked about how Kinney’s status as a beloved author will help with this business venture, he answered: “To make it work, we know it has to be a destination—we have to bring people in from Plainville and surrounding town. We’ll be leveraging the notoriety that my work has to a certain degree. But it’s not about me. By no means is this a Jeff Kinney store. This has to outlive me.” Do you plan to visit the Kinneys’ bookstore one day?