Independent bookstores are supposed to be struggling. Somebody forgot to tell Page 158 Books, which holds a 4.9-star Google rating across nearly 400 reviews — numbers most businesses of any kind never see.
How it started: an opportunity knocks
In 2015, Sue and Dave Lucey weren't planning to own a bookstore — then the chance came to buy downtown's existing indie from its previous owner. By July they had taken it over, renamed it Page 158 Books, and hit the ground running with a rearranged, roomier layout and a children's department that quickly became the store's heart. A decade later, Sue still names the children's section as the corner she loves most.
The expansion: books, a bar, and a stage
In 2022 the Luceys bought the 3,200-square-foot storefront next door, growing Page 158 to 4,800 square feet and adding what few bookstores anywhere have: a stage for author events, shared with the Wake Forest Listening Room's live music series, plus a growing beer-and-wine bar and the cozy Lemon Tree Café space where the store's adult and youth book clubs gather. Once a year the store throws LitFest, bringing readers and authors together to celebrate books and raise funds for the literacy nonprofit New Kids on the Books.
Why it works
Reviewers are honest about the trade: roughly 5,000 new titles can't match a big chain's warehouse. What comes back — the atmosphere, owners who have actually read the book before interviewing its author on stage, staff who guide you to what you didn't know you needed — is, in nearly 400 people's judgment, more than worth it. Every purchase here is a small vote for the kind of downtown Wake Forest gets to have. Hours and events are on their directory listing.
