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Keith and Mailie Duffin, owners of Abi’s Books & Brews
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Abi’s Books & Brews is located at 1212 1/2 W. Cary St.
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The cafe and bookshop is home to over 2,500 selections.
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There is seating for around 40 guests inside Abi’s Books & Brews.
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Abi’s Books & Brews will feature a Banned Book Nook.
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The coffee area inside Abi’s Books & Brews
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The coffee shop has a dedicated author corner; the first featured wordsmith is Edgar Allan Poe.
Some things go together seamlessly, combinations so fitting that they border on perfection: a burger with hot fries, a glass of sparkling rosé and a patio, that book you’ve been wanting to read and a giant cup of coffee.
Keith and Mailie Duffin, spouses and owners of Abi’s Books & Brews, agree, especially about the latter. “What goes better than books and coffee?” Keith muses, standing inside their soon-to-open cafe and bookstore at 1212 1/2 W. Cary St.
Located near the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, the concept is set to open by the end of the month. A family affair, chances are you’ll spot the Duffins’ son, Jeremy, making your coffee, or their daughter, the shop’s namesake, ringing you up at the register.
“The goal is to give him a solid start, and doing the same thing with Abi,” Keith says. “She works here, and when she turns 18, she’ll get some ownership as well, so it’s something long-term for her.”
Moving their family to Richmond a few years ago from Arizona, the couple says that when they originally met, they immediately connected over a shared love of books. “We had some dates where we went to the library,” Keith says with a chuckle.
Mailie, a Portland, Oregon, native who loves to reach for a novel with a historical plot, says she’s been obsessed with books since she was a child and that coffee came later.
“As I kid, I read so much I would get in trouble with my dad for eating and reading at the same time, or he’d get calls from my school that I’m not paying attention in class and just reading,” she says. “Business kind of runs through the family, and honestly, as I’m doing it, it feels kind of natural.”
Keith, who previously lived in Chesterfield and has been collecting books since he was 12, says that when the building became available, they seized the opportunity. “We started talking about it, and we were like, ‘Why don’t we just do it?’” he says.
For the cafe side of the venture, the couple is leaning into local, sourcing their beans from Bugle Call Coffee in Quinton and their pastries and other baked goods from Bellevue’s Up All Night Bakery. Patrons will be able to enjoy espresso-based drinks and Italian sodas or Orangina. The shop will also have a case with rotating flavors from DeLuca Gelato. In the coming months, they plan to introduce a breakfast menu and sandwiches.
Since taking over the space, the pair have converted the former Kulture storefront into what they hope will be a cozy nook for nearby students, enthusiastic bibliophiles, and caffeine seekers looking to grab a latte and stay a while. The 40-seat cafe and shop features exposed brick, a tin ceiling and a wall of bookshelves with a swinging ladder. Details include a handcrafted book buttress made at HackRVA Makerspace, a wall decorated with pieces of sheet music and old newspaper clippings from Richmond, a dedicated kids’ area, a printing station for students, and an author corner. In keeping with Abi’s Richmond location, the first featured wordsmith is Edgar Allan Poe.
“We really tried to make everything as Richmond as possible,” Mailie says.
In addition, guests will spot a spinning stand of selections that aren’t for purchase but can be checked out using a QR code. These books have been banned in Hanover County, and a card on top of the stand reads, “Banning books is like education dictatorship.” Mailie says that when she heard the story of local Girl Scout Kate Lindley and her fight against censorship via the “Banned Book Nooks” project, she felt compelled to support her. “I reached out to her on [Instagram], and she brought in all these books.”
Beyond that, the shop has over 2,500 selections, an assortment sourced from thrift stores, markets and estate sales that Keith sees as a “good mix that would appeal to a lot people.”
Night owls, stay tuned: The Duffins, who are drawing inspiration from European cafes, believe that reading and coffee drinking hours should know no bounds. Their goal is to reach a point where they can operate the coffeehouse 24 hours a day, especially during finals weeks.
“A lot of coffee places close early, and that’s what people say is their biggest qualm, and we recognize we may not make as much money during certain slow hours, but having multiple revenue streams beyond just the coffee will help,” Keith says.
Most importantly, the Duffins stress that their goal is to create a welcoming spot for the community. “We want to make it a safe place … kind of a meeting of everyone and for everyone to be comfortable here,” he says.
Abi’s Books & Brews will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
