Chanel Bush’s lifelong dream of opening a bookstore started by picking a color.
It took years to bring focus to her vision for The Viridian Bookshop. A career in the film industry alongside her partner Joseph Legion Slade dominated her days, but books remained a deep passion. When the couple moved to Willowick four years ago, they quickly became integrated into their local community of bookworms.
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And when the building at 4081 Erie St. in Downtown Willoughby — formerly Eastside Relics antique shop — opened up last September, they felt a calling to create the “third space” that they and their neighbors always wanted. In an area flourishing with small businesses like Etc. on Erie, Barktown and Chagrin River Diner just a short walk away, The Viridian Bookshop adds new, one-of-a-kind flair to an already unique scene of shops, bars and restaurants.
When it came to naming the store, speaking their vision into existence, Bush and Legion Slade landed simply on the blue-green hue. But the choice was no random spin of the color wheel.
“If you're surrounded by a color like viridian, it brings a warmth of peace to your soul,” Legion Slade muses. “It's like being in a forest, you know? It's that magical type of environment that you would want to be in to have adventures. It spoke to us loudly as the kind of feeling that we want in the background of our environment as well.”
The shade will inspire much of The Viridian Bookshop’s interior, which Bush describes as having a “dark academia” vibe. Her moody, nature-forward aesthetic is brought to life through collaboration with Geza Kassai, designer and architect at Graphixx Design.
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But since starting construction one year ago, the dream is no longer just hers and her husband’s. Through suggestions, feedback, advice and donations, The Viridian Bookshop has become just as much for the community as it already is for Bush and Legion Slade.
It’s part of the reason the duo decided to expand the store beyond books. Learning that many of their friends and neighbors seek a space for playing games, they conceptualized dedicated rooms for hobbies — ranging from board games, card games like Magic: The Gathering and roleplay games like Dungeons & Dragons.
“We both grew up playing tabletop games,” Bush says. “Unfortunately, we haven't been able to dive into D&D yet, which is kind of one of our inspirations for doing this. We've always wanted a place and a community to be able to learn D&D, and we know a lot of people like us that don't have that.”
Two dedicated game rooms will meet the needs of both in-person tabletop gaming, as well as streaming capabilities for larger D&D campaigns. Another multipurpose room will be used for reading, special workshops and trivia nights. As for the retail space, a large collection of new, used, rare and vintage books will be available across subgenres of fiction like romance, historical fiction, sci-fi and fantasy. Many of the shop’s first stock of titles were provided by the community through a donation drive held in late August. It garnered over 1,800 used books.
“I went in with zero expectations, because I just wanted to be grateful for anything we received.” Bush says. “But I still am blown away by the support of those that just want us to succeed.”
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The Viridian Bookshop will host its grand opening on Oct. 4. Bush teases that a weekend of games, prizes and pure celebration is in store for visitors.
“I've had numerous people reach out to me through social media or stop by when I'm there working on the store, saying just how much they are needing a space like this,” Bush says, “to bring their D&D group, or their book club, or just a place to come hang out that's not a bar, a restaurant or cafe. It's really validating to know that the community is so large and is craving something like this.”
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