How came this to pass? (Part I)

The first thing to know about Juliet Books is that we will try not to wear out the Shakespeare references. We’ll just throw one in every now and then, as a nudge to our name. 

And also…they’re fun.

The more important thing to know about Juliet Books is that it’s a true passion project born out of a love for books, authors, good writing and a great hometown. Don’t most literary enthusiasts dream of opening a bookstore at least once in their lives? Right, so did we. And our story is full of some pretty great tropes: trepidation, ambition, good timing…and a dash of “if-not-now-than-when” badassery.

Juliet Books is owned by Cary resident Marcie Montague. Among other things, Marcie is a reader and a runner, and she and her friend Kristine (that’s me!) used to run through downtown Cary every Tuesday night with the rest of Bond Brothers Run Club. We’ve done this for years (still do), and with each pass through downtown Cary we’d brainstorm bookstore ideas. What’s our dream location? What books would we stock? What background music would we play? You know…the important stuff.

For years we assumed the dream was out of reach. We both had jobs at technology companies, and the perfect location in the heart of a burgeoning downtown area seemed as elusive as a midsummer dream.

Then: plot twist! Marcie got an opportunity to leave the tech world and – shortly thereafter – found an available storefront ready for its own fresh start. It was a cold winter afternoon when she asked if I wanted to see it, and I remember stepping inside and thinking, “I can envision it! I think?”

Luckily Marcie never wavered in her vision, down to the most intricate detail. And thus our story begins.