Walking down a narrow hallway, customers turn and see a menacing dragon. If they offer it a coin, they just might make it out alive… A new bookstore, Snapdragon Books and Gifts, opened July 26 on 4471 Bridgetown Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45211. The store is in a renovated house owned by Bill and Andrea Macfarland. It has six unique rooms of books spanning two of the three floors. The third floor is used for game nights and events.
In an interview with Bill Macfarland, an elementary school teacher, he shared that the idea of creating a bookstore came to him in Nov. 2024. He said, “I’ve always loved to read…it’s kind of a natural fit.” The Macfarlands looked at over 11 different locations for the bookstore, finally hitting the jackpot with a house originally used for bootlegging. Due to this, the house has unique features that were utilized in the creation of the bookstore. For example, the basement contains a false fireplace leading to a tunnel with a large, handmade dragon.
The process of building the rooms in the bookstore started in Dec. 2024. It took longer than expected, but came together in the end. Macfarland remarked, “You always run into those problems that you have to figure out.” But by July, they were ready to open.
The first floor of the bookstore has four rooms: popular books, nonfiction, and young adult. The last contains gifts and the check-out. The second floor has three rooms: horror/sci-fi/fantasy, adult fiction, and kids. When asked about the ratio of new to used books, Macfarland said it was about “80% new and 20% used.” He went on to say, “We’re getting new stuff in every week.” The distinct rooms for each genre are what Macfarland thinks sets Snapdragon Books apart from other bookstores. He claimed, “I’m hopeful that [customers] can find at least one book that interests them.”
Game nights and events are held on the third floor. Macfarland wants the bookstore to become a “third place,” a concept that suggests people need a space beyond home and work to socialize and relax. He hopes to foster this by hosting various events, including writing groups, D&D gatherings, author readings and signings, the Cincinnati Book Crawl, and game nights. Game nights are currently held once a month, the next being Saturday, Sept. 20. Additionally, a portion of sales on Saturday, Sept. 13, went to a charity supporting trafficking victims in Nepal.
Snapdragon Books and Gifts is a new community space open to everyone. Macfarland encourages people to “come in and check it out…if there is any sort of club or group that [wants] to rent out the space, let us know.” They have plans to create a website, but for now, information on events can be found on their Facebook page @Snapdragon Books and Gifts. Thrilled with the ways things are coming along, Macfarland “[loves] that people are coming in here and having a good time,” and is excited to continue bringing the community together.
