Pages and Pours: Books, bottles, brew and banter

Rich Palzewic

Staff

November 18, 2024

DE PERE – When its doors open early next year, Pages and Pours in downtown De Pere aims to be a go-to place for those looking to enjoy a glass of wine or a craft beer while playing a board game or searching for a vintage book.

Located at 415 Main Ave., Mark Hank, his wife, Sheri, and son, John, co-own the store and said they are planning for an opening after the holidays.

“We wanted to open a bit sooner, but when you’re dealing with the construction process, sometimes things get pushed back a little,” Mark said. “We didn’t quite hit our goal of opening in November, but we also want to make sure everything is done right.”

Mark said it’s hard to classify the 1,500-square-foot business solely as a bookstore or solely as a bar.

“We want to create a community atmosphere where people can come in, maybe shop the bookstore, drink some coffee, have a glass of wine or craft beer and play a few games,” he said. “I think we endeavor the space to be both a bookstore and a bar-type establishment, but not one over the other.”

Mark said Pages and Pours will feature a variety of used books – “some dating back quite a few years.”

“We’ll have popular fiction, classics, collectible books, etc.,” he said. “There will be a lot of things for less than $25 and some collectibles from $35-$50. We’ll have a few rare books as well. There will be quite a large section of memoirs and biographies, too.”

Mark, 58, said the selections don’t stop there.

“We’ll have art books, antique medical books and a sports section,” he said. “I think it’s cool to look back in time to the 1880s and see how medical procedures have changed. No matter what people like to read, I think there will be good options for everyone. I’m hoping they find this a great place to discover things.”

As for wine/craft beer options, Mark said the store has to buy alcohol through a licensed distributor.

“For beer, we’re going to feature McFleshman’s (Brewing Company) from Appleton, Ahnapee Brewery and others,” he said. “With wine, we know Wisconsin does a good job, but I think our focus will be more on wines from Napa Valley, from Oregon, Washington, Spain and Italy. We’ll choose from those wines mostly, I think. We plan to have 12 wines available all the time and will rotate some in and out.”

Mark said though wines will be high quality, they’ll also be affordable.

“Like the books, the wine will be in an accessible price range,” he said.

Mark said it’s important to realize there won’t be beer on tap – “it will only be bottles and cans of beer.”

“Maybe in the future (we’ll add beer taps), but not right now,” he said. “We are also investing in a wine preservation system. It works like a beer tap, only with wine. As the wine is drawn out of the bottle, the air is displaced with nitrogen. It preserves the wine for about 30 days. That way, hopefully, nothing will go to waste.”

John, 23, a University of Wisconsin-Green Bay communications graduate, said he will help manage the store and run its social media

“I will most likely be working the store more in the later hours because I’m a night owl,” he said. “I’ll also take care of the website.”

Mark said the store also plans to host events where the general public can bring in books to possibly sell.

“We’ll take a look at them, and if we’re interested in buying, we’ll give cash,” he said. “A few other bookstores in the area offer a book credit, but I’d rather give people cash for what they bring in. If people have great things we want to buy, we’ll put them in the shop to sell.”

To help stock the store’s literary inventory, Mark said, “I have my sources and friends who will help me find books.”

“When I was at a bookstore in Franklin, Tennessee, several years ago, the owner of the store said, ‘When you own a bookshop, books will find you,’” he said. “The general public will be a part of that – helping us find books.”

Mark and John said to start, Pages and Pours will have limited hours.

“We’ll be open Wednesday through Saturday, and then at some point next year, we’ll add Tuesdays,” he said. “Our hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., maybe going a bit later Friday and Saturday nights after we see how things go.”

An old-time feel

Mark – who said he doesn’t know the exact history and how far back the building dates – said he’d like to keep the space as original as possible.

“When the owner bought the building, he had to do extensive work to it,” he said. “(In addition to the bar area), there are hardwood floors, it will have bookshelves, a cashier stand and open spaces to meet. There will also be a coffee bar and some charcuterie options.”

How it came about

Mark, who was born in Chicago, said he and his wife, a Green Bay native, eventually made their way to Minneapolis and spent 25 years there before settling in Green Bay in 2019.

“I’ve been interested in books for 30-plus years,” he said. “When I was in college, I majored in English literature. I had a professor who encouraged us to build our own libraries, so I started doing that – mostly hardcovers. I always loved going into a used bookstore and picking up a book. For me, you can feel the history of an old book.”

Mark said his career has taken a few twists and turns along the way before deciding to open Pages and Pours.

“I spent a lot of my career in occupational health and safety,” he said. “In my last job, I was a safety manager for a company here in town that makes pizza products. My different careers and experiences prepared me for this – I’ve managed people.”

John said about two years ago, he remembers his father talking about opening a bookstore.

“I was a little hesitant about my parents doing that,” he said. “There are quite a few bookstores, and they either do well or don’t. I think combining different options into one space with a couple of different points of sale is better.”

Mark echoed his son’s comments, saying he wasn’t sure if it would work opening solely a bookstore.

“My wife said to me, ‘I know of bookstores in other places where they combine a bookstore with a bar,’” he said. “Let’s face it – who doesn’t like to have a drink now and again, especially with reading a book? Adding options for wine, beer and charcuterie could certainly add to the profitability of a bookstore. That’s why we decided to combine the two. There’s definitely been a positive reaction from the community.”

Mark said the family only got serious about following their dream this past spring.

“That’s when we started putting a business plan together – we love downtown De Pere,” he said. “We thought this type of business would do well in a location like this, not in something like a strip mall – it wouldn’t have the same charm. We found out this building was available in May.”

Mark said Pages and Pours will be a nice change of pace for him.

“Being in my late 50s, you start thinking about what your retirement might look like,” he said. “Everyone has their vision of what their retirement will look like, but for my wife and I, we don’t plan to just stop working, enjoy golf, go to brunches, etc. – I’ve always envisioned having something interesting and engaging to do.”

And though the format of how people read books – e-readers, Amazon.com and big bookstores – has changed over the last three decades, Mark said “I still like the feel of a book in my hands.”

“And I know a lot of people feel the same way,” he said.

Visit Pages and Pours’ social media platforms for more information.