The Nook expands CF literary offerings with new used book store next to Raygun

The Nook, a popular indie book store located in downtown Cedar Falls is opening another store. 

On Nov. 20, 2023, The Nook opened to a line snaking around the block as Cedar Falls residents flooded into the store; by the end of their first week, half of the store’s inventory was gone. 

“Honestly, I didn’t go in until a couple months after it first opened,” senior Anna Brodahl said. “There was a lot of turnover on Main Street at the time, and I thought, ‘Oh, it’s just another store that’s going to come and go,’ I remember, though, at the old high school, the cross country team would run downtown. On one of our runs we stopped inside, and it was nothing like I thought it would be. I only wish I’d gone sooner.” 

The next year, on Nov. 7, The Nook celebrated the opening of The Reader’s Cup, an expansion to The Nook that sells coffee, tea, other beverages and fun snacks for all readers to enjoy. Now again, in this fall season, The Nook team plans to open another store on Main Street. 

“It’s pretty crazy.” Brandon Conrad, a co-owner of the Nook, said. “We were approached with the opportunity for this space, so it wasn’t really originally our idea, but, of course, why would we say no?” 

After The Vinyl Cup closed, Ray-Gun, another Main Street store that owned the vacant space, asked Conrad and his wife, Abby Olson, if they wanted to open another store there. Conrad said, “They approached us asking about a second-hand bookstore, saying ‘Everyone loves The Nook. Do you guys want to open another store?’ We said, ‘Sure, why not?’”

The new store will be named Books on Main, and the owners plan to keep its shelves stocked by having a used book buy system allowing customers to sell their books to Books on Main. Books on Main will also take books as donations. 

Furthermore, during the summer of 2025, Conrad and Olson ran several book drives in order to have a base stock for the store. Conrad estimates they have at least a couple thousand books for the new store to start with.

“It’s crazy to see how many books we have. It’s surprising to this day, the support that we have for all our stores. It’s been really fun for me and my wife especially. It’s really cool to see people support us,” Conrad said.

To stay up to date on what’s happening at The Nook, Reader’s Cup, or Books on Main, patrons can check out The Nook’s website or head to their different social media pages.

Facebook:

The Nook

Reader’s Cup

Instagram:

@thenook.cf

@readerscup.cf

@booksonmain.cf