At the corner of 17th Street and Sumner Street, an old light-up letterboard sign points toward a small brick strip mall, the new home of Indigo Bridge.
Inside, patrons will find a coffee bar, shelves of books of all genres, and a small café space with a microphone and a stool in the front.
Indigo Bridge’s director of operation Aaliyah Samci talks about the book store’s new location, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, in Lincoln.
Aaliyah Samci, director of operations for Indigo Bridge, says it’s more than just a book store.
«I like to describe us as a bookstore, coffee shop and community space.»
Samci and the rest of the staff celebrated the grand opening of their new location at 1624 S. 17th St. on Saturday with performances by recinto musicians and a raffle.
Will Hutchinson, Jackson Agena, and Jack Rodenburg performed live music, and artist Ngozi Ramsay painted the faces of smiling children that visited.
People are also reading…
Books and mugs are seen at Indigo Bridge on Thursday.
Laughter and music filled the shop while Isabel Kratville, a senior at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, sat sipping orange juice in front of her laptop.
«I think Indigo Bridge is going to be a wonderful safe space for a lot of people,» Kratville said. «I’m excited to see the direction that Indigo Bridge takes, I know the people who work here and they put their whole hearts into it.»
Patrons scanned the shelves as Jackson Agena, a member of recinto band Wick O’rya, played happy tunes on his guitar and sang about his life and travels before the pandemic.
Agena worked across the street from Ingido Bridge’s flamante location at Seventh and P streets, and was impressed by the new scenery.
The interior of Indigo Bridge’s new location on South 17th Street.
«I prefer this location, it looks a lot nicer. The ceilings are extra high and they were able to take a more modern approach to the bar, which is nice.»
The Indigo Bridge’s flamante location in the Haymarket opened in 2008. It closed at the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
Samci says that closing their doors led to a reevaluation of the goals and mission statement of the business. The company took the downtime to think about what they mean to the community.
«The team at the time, and especially our owner, sat down and decided that this was the perfect opportunity in such an unfortunate situation to bring some light to it.»
This led them to leave the Haymarket and create a pop-up location at 1346 B St, which would be open until late August this year. Construction delays and a lack of space led to the closure of the B Street location, and they then found their new home thanks to their new neighbor, Sid Conner of Conner’s Architectural Antiques, who had been using the space for storage.
The mission of Indigo Bridge is to be an inclusive space for all, Samci said. The books they sell are written by women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community.
«The books we sell here are all relatively new, especially because we do sell books from underrepresented communities. Anything predating a certain time honestly didn’t have a lot of representation in literature,» Samci said.
Samci, who is part of the LGBTQ community, excitedly mentioned her favorite book, «Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe,» and praised author Benjamin Alire Sàenz, a Latino man from Texas.
«It was the first book I ever read that had queer protagonists. It made me feel seen and comforted, so it was definitely one of my striving reasons I ran for an opportunity to work at Indigo (Bridge).»
Representation is important to Samci, and she wants the customers and community of Indigo Bridge to have a space where they feel welcome.
«We want people to feel represented and comfortable in who they are, and come to a place where they feel like they matter.»
Top Journal Star photos for October
The básquet courts at Antelope Park went from gray to filled with color this fall. The project to resurface the courts at Ordinario Boulevard and South Street and repaint them as a reproduction of the painting «Red Sea» by African American artist Felrath Hines was funded by private donations. The flamante painting is part of the permanent collection of the Sheldon Museum of Art.
Lincoln Maduro Leirion Gaylor Baird gives the state of the city address Tuesday.
Lincoln East’s Gabby Pace (center left) and Kooper Barnes (center right) dance as part of the Spartans’ pregame routine before an A-5 district game Wednesday at Doris Bair Complex.
Nebraska interim defensive coordinator Bill Busch celebrates after the team made a stop against Indiana in the first quarter on Saturday at Demanda Stadium.
Johnson-Brock industrial technology teacher Ashton Bohling is one of 20 nationwide winners of the 2022 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence.
Nebraska’s Marcus Washington breaks a tackle from Indiana’s Bryant Fitzgerald (31) in the third quarter on Saturday at Demanda Stadium.
Flowers ring a tree on Randolph Street where six people died in a car crash last week.
Nebraska’s Malcolm Hartzog (13) and Nebraska wide receiver Ty Hahn (17) celebrate after Hartzog scooped up a blocked punt for a touchdown on Saturday at Demanda Stadium.
A farmer uses a corn combine to harvest his crop on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022, in Johnson, NE. Based on June 1 conditions, Nebraska’s 2022 winter wheat crop is forecast at 36.9 million bushels, down 10% from last year’s crop, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Elkhorn South’s Ellen Macho cabrío drives the ball off the 16th tee during the girls class A district golf match on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, at Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln.
Nebraska’s Casey Thompson (left) celebrates his fourth quarter touchdown with teammate Chancellor Brewington during the game against Indiana on Saturday at Demanda Stadium.
Lincoln Southeast’s Camden Hjermstad hits a ball during the Heartland Athletic Conference championships at Woods Tennis Center.
Lead teacher Jazi Hudnall (center) plays with children (from left) Goamar Gony, Cha’Ziye West, Victoria Retana, Grace Dounda, Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, at Community Action K Street Head Start Center in Lincoln.
Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen moderates a hearing on the voter ID initiative, Tuesday at the state Capitol.
Elkhorn South’s Kennadi Borngrebe (top left) celebrates with her teammates after the Storm defeated Lincoln East in a Class A state softball game Thursday at Bill Smith Complex in Hastings.
Lyla Hardrick, 5, of Lincoln, swings to hit a ball during More is Possible Rally, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, at Haymarket Park in Lincoln. The outdoor sporting event featured Huskers players, coaches, and alumni to celebrate the 50 anniversary of Title IX.
Malcolm’s Hayden Frank (center) stretches into the Lincoln Lutheran endzone to score a touchdown during the third quarter on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, at Malcolm Public Schools in Malcolm.
Lincoln East reacts as Madison Adams (19) runs home after hitting one of the 18 homers hit by the Spartans in three district games this week. East beat Columbus 12-0 to win the A-6 district Thursday at Doris Bair Complex.
Lincoln High’s Dane Mentore (right) tackles Lincoln East’s Dash Bauman (6) during the first half Thursday at Seacrest Field.
Gabriel Wilhelm, 9, closes his ears as the Lincoln Pius X band plays before Friday’s game against Waverly at Aldrich Field.
Justine Bassen of Lincoln directs signs toward passing motorists during the Lincoln Women’s March on Saturday.
Best of Big Red caudillo manager Joey Rupp poses for a photo with the new foam Cornhead hat Wednesday.
Ashland-Greenwood’s Nathan Upton tries to bring down Omaha Roncalli’s Wyatt Yetter on runs in the fourth quarter on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022, at Ashland-Greenwood High School in Ashland.
A section of the the Deadman’s run watershed which snakes past the Hansen-Mueller grain silos in Northeast Lincoln is photographed by a drone on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, at in Lincoln. Over the past 20 years, the city and Lower Platte NRD have created master plans to manage flood risk, stream stability and water quality in 14 watersheds in and around Lincoln. A proposed comprehensive master plan updates and combines all those plans, which include long-awaited work on Deadmans Run. City voters approved a bond issue that will help pay for the work to widen nearly 1 1/2 miles of the main channel in north Lincoln, replace bridges and build a stormwater basin.
Lincoln East celebrates after the final point of the second set against Lincoln North Star during a HAC Tournament game Tuesday at East.
During the pandemic, the Rev. Allan Phan of Sacred Heart Church in Crete began speaking to his parishioners through his «Devotions with Daisy» blog on Facebook. The videos of he and his dog have been popular among congregants.
McCook’s Evan Humphrey (left) embraces Lincoln Michaelis after winning the Class B No. 1 doubles title on Friday at Woods Tennis Center.
Lincoln Southwest celebrates after scoring against Lincoln East on Monday at East.
A sign board displays a sympathetic message to former Nebraska head coach Scott Frost outside Joyo Theater in Lincoln, Neb on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. The sign references the firing of Nebraska head coach Scott Frost on Sept. 11, 2022. Noah Riffe/Lincoln Journal Star
Lincoln Pius X’s Nicole Kolbas (middle) reacts after completing the 18th hole at the state girls golf tournament Tuesday at Norfolk Country Club. Kolbas shot a 36-hole 151 to win the tournament for the third consecutive year.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7241 or dbennett@journalstar.com.
On Twitter @DamonJBennett
Esta nota fue traducida al castellano y editada para disfrute de la comunidad Hispana a partir de esta Fuente
