Ducking inside Storied Owl Books to escape the quickly decreasing temperatures, the atmosphere is immediately warm and welcoming.

A quiet little bookstore on Randolph Avenue, Storied Owl, is the perfect place to find a book to keep warm with through the oncoming winter. Flowers and plants line the windows, books are stacked in every available space and pumpkins are placed in odd corners to herald the beginning of fall. Storied Owl is a book lover’s retreat from the bustling world outside its doors.

Started by Amy Turany and Marcus Mayer, the store celebrated its grand opening on Sept. 28 with treats, crafts and a drawing for prizes. The event had a high turnout that included local book lovers and university students. Located at 2059 Randolph Ave, the store is directly across from the campus of St. Catherine University.

Both Turany and Mayer have a long history of loving books. Mayer continues at his other job as a librarian for St. Paul Public Schools. Turaney said through a phone interview she has dreamed a long time of owning a bookstore, a dream finally made possible by partnering with Mayer in their shared goals. 

“We were focusing on finding a way to tie some of our dream book projects together,” Turaney said in an interview for City Pages. “When we saw the store space was available… we decided to go for it.”

Their hope with Storied Owl is to provide a friendly and comfortable space for readers of all ages. As an extra bonus, they also sell bulk candy, which is an exciting addition for anyone with a sweet tooth.

“We’re avid readers and champions of stories and candy,” Turaney said in that same City Pages interview. “Well, maybe not champions of candy, but we really love it and will be enthusiastically selling it.”

Despite its cozy size, Storied Owl has a wide variety of books. This hidden gem stocks books which will appeal to both adults and children, with each age range taking up about half of the store. Visitors will see familiar titles such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings alongside Emily Dickinson and James Baldwin. With a wide range of genres including nonfiction, poetry, science fiction and graphic novels, an avid reader could easily browse through the books for hours.

For those browsing the shelves for extended periods of time, there is convenient seating placed around the store to rest and contemplate potential purchases, of which there will likely be many. Storied Owl is a perfect place to find gifts for friends and loved ones, regardless of their age and reading preferences, along with books for personal enjoyment. 

In addition to being a place to shop for books, Storied Owl also plans on holding events in the store. Turaney and Mayer look forward to hosting conversations with local authors, book readings and other events for the community.  While they do not have any on the schedule currently, they are looking for input on what types of events people are most interested in. To contact them or to find out about future events, visit storiedowlbooks.com.