In November 2024, a new chapter began for all book-loving Coopersburg residents. Offering both new and used books, “Medina Books and Coffee” is a new outlet for anyone looking for new reading material, a tight-knit community, or even a little pick-me-up with a cup of fresh, complimentary coffee.
The bookstore switched locations from a shared space with Coopersburg business “Alway Pretty Salon and Day Spa” to its own building on 20 S. Main Street, Coopersburg. It’s open for business on Wednesdays (4-7 pm), Thursday and Fridays (12-6 pm), and Saturdays (11 am-6 pm).
Store owner Ms. Agneris Joselin Medina is a Coopersburg resident herself, who initially moved to the area so her two children could attend Southern Lehigh.
After living here for eight years, Medina saw the need for this addition to Main Street.
“Coopersburg deserves to have a coffee shop or a pizza place, places that you can ride your bike or walk to,” Medina said. “And if you’re going to have all those things, you should have a bookstore too.”
However, the idea of opening a bookstore did not just start with the physical brick-and-mortar. In December 2022, Medina started an online book business, utilizing her son’s room as a makeshift stockroom after he moved out. From there, the idea took off, sparking the opening of the initial location a year later in December 2023.
Although Medina only put this plan into action in the last few years, this dream of hers has been a lifelong aspiration.
“When I was little, my dad owned a small bookstore on the Main Street where we lived [in the Dominican Republic],” Medina said. “We lived near a University, so he sold mostly textbooks with a little selection of fiction and short stories. Most of the books were for older readers, but he did sneak in a few for me, and that’s how I started my journey as a reader.”
Since then, Medina has made it her goal to find bookstores as she travels, taking inspiration in hopes of one day opening her own.
“Books and visiting bookstores were always a secret obsession that I kept near and dear, and once I saw the opportunity to open a bookstore, I had to take it,” Medina said.
Medina collects used and unused books for her store, displaying them throughout the first floor of the building. As you weave your way through the store, each room or corner has a designated section. There’s something for everyone: romance, fiction, fantasy, horror/thriller, mystery, and even a room dedicated to younger readers.
The decision to sell used books requires her to find cheap, quality ones for resale. Medina acquires these books through a variety of means: thrift stores, yard sales, estate sales, and online used-books websites— such as PangoBooks. Doing this, she is able to offer extremely affordable prices for fun reads— hardcover books are priced at $5 each, and paperbacks at $4.
“New books, you can get them anywhere—such as Barnes & Noble which is just five minutes away from here,” Medina said. “Used books, they continue to flow, and there’s value in them. It gives books a new life.”
Nowadays, loyal customers of the small business can supply the used books collection themselves. “Medina Books and Coffee” offers a loyalty system, offering store credit or discounts to customers in return for bringing used books in.
As for the “and Coffee” aspect of the business’s name, a small portion of the main room of the shop is set up with a coffee maker and cups, available to all customers.
“The coffee is part of the experience. We don’t sell it. We’re not competing with any other coffee shop. We prepare it, it’s there, and if somebody wants a cup of coffee, that’s great, it’s free,” Medina said.
Medina also carries coffee beans for sale, supplied by a women-owned coffee shop she stumbled across when traveling in Las Vegas.
Aside from the physical books and coffee, a big part of “Medina Books and Coffee” are the events and “pop-ups” the store holds. After moving to a bigger space in November, the business now has its own room dedicated to these events, allowing for a larger, and stronger, community to come together.
“Books alone don’t sell. You need another thing to get people in the store and together,” Medina said.
Thus far, the bookstore has held author signings, book clubs, and many different arts and crafts events: including chunky blanket making, vision board making, basket weaving, and—this month—paint by numbers. Additionally, local vendors often come in to help promote their items and offer workshops.
With these vendors, the local book community, and everyone else who has shown support in the business’s journey, “Medina Books and Coffee” has experienced nothing but positive experiences over the first few months of its opening.
“I’m very fortunate with the team and community I get to work with. You don’t want to do something you love without being accompanied by good people,” Medina said. “We’re all living dreams in here. Everybody.”
