Back in December The Nook a bookstore and mocktail lounge opened in downtown Manitowoc and has become a staple in the heart of Manitowoc over the past couple months.
The Nook, started by Manitowoc residents, Jessica Nicholson and Lily Schuette, has continued to continuing to grow.
Nicholson told SeehaferNews.com that the idea for a sober lounge stemmed from her own decision to cut out alcohol.
“Me personally, I quit drinking about 2 years ago, and there’s just not really any social things to do in town that don’t involve or are surrounded by drinking,” she explained. “So, I think that where the community lacks in something like that, we brought something new in and fulfilled that need.”
She knew starting their own business wouldn’t be easy, but Nicholson knew she and her partner would be able to accomplish their goals.
Nicholson still hasn’t fully grasped that their hard work is a reality.
“It’s still crazy today. We’ve been open for over a month and I still can’t believe we’re actually open and it’s operating, it’s so hard to believe,” she told SeehaferNews.com. “There is a lot of rollercoasters and a lot more work put into it than we ever anticipated, but honestly my partner and I, we work so well together so well like yin and yang and it went rather smoothly and I’m pretty impressed with the job we did.”
The Nook is also more than just a place to get mocktails.
The friends made their business into a space where there’s a little something for everyone.
“We are a full mocktail lounge and bookstore, so we have a full bar, gin, tequila, vodka, but it’s all non-alcoholic liquor,” Nicholson explained. “So, we have a wide variety of specialty mocktails, and we also have coffee, tea, and then a small retail section and a bookstore.”
Alongside their bookstore and mocktail lounge being open 5 days a week, they also have special events for anyone to come participate in,
“We already have a lot of our events built out for the next couple of months. So, we do a lot of things like trivia night, bingo night, board game night,” Nicholson revealed. “We’re having an open mic night, we’re doing an event with Freshwater Press at the end of February for poetry. We do two book clubs a month which we call the ‘Nook Club’, this month we’re doing two different romance books just because it is February, the month of romance.”
To get daily updates and see all the happenings at The Nook, follow their Facebook page titled ‘The Nook’ or check out their website at thenookmanitowoc.com.
