For the love of books and wine

Pages and Pours, a unique bookstore and bar in one, will open on Main Ave. in De Pere on Feb. 26.

With a wide range of book genres and will serve wines, craft beers, coffee and small-plate food options — it is sure to have something for every literature lover and wine fanatic.

“This is a concept that came together based on my interest in books and wine, I had thought about opening a bookstore over the past few years and didn’t think that opening a bookstore could be a viable business model but we learned about this concept where people in other cities have combined a bookshop with a wine bar with beer or a full bar and then you have the two elements of wine and food service and the books that come together and make it a profitable little business,” said Mark Hank, owner of Pages and Pours.

The store will have a plethora of options for those looking for their next read.
“It’s going to be popular fiction, classic literature, art, design, gardening and sports,” Hank said. “I have a Packers section, I have a section on antique medical books, I have science, I have philosophy, non-fiction, history, military history. We have a section on things of interest to Wisconsin.”

To continue adding to its inventory, Hank plans to buy used books from customers to resell in Pages and Pours.

In addition to wine, Pages and Pours will have drip coffee and espresso, soda and sparkling water and will offer charcuterie boards as well as other small plate items like muffins, scones, cookies and cheesecake.

Pages and Pours also plans to host special events like poetry readings, author signings and book clubs.

“I love books, and I’m really looking forward to helping people find and support their love of reading and love of books,” Hank mentioned. “The thing that we really want to foster is a sense of community connection, whereas a lot of bars people come in and it’s about having a drink or two together, here we want people to maybe do more than that. So we got all these games that people can play, so people can feel free to come in with friends or family and sit and play a board game, maybe have some refreshments, that’s the sort of thing we want to encourage people to do here.”

Alongside Hank for the journey of making Pages and Pours come to life has been his wife Sheri and Son John.

“It’s been a family effort, my wife Sheri, she’s an attorney with a company in town and they are a building materials distributor and so she is keeping her job with that company, but also helping us out a few hours a week and my son John has been integral to getting our marketing set up and our social media, and he will be an assistant manager here.”

You can find more information about Pages and Pours on their website pagesandpours.com or Instagram @pages_and_pours_depere.