Indulge in the sagacious shelves of Shelf Indulgence
Second-year Sky Bowling and third-year Hannah Hoogerwoerd study at the cafe.

Indulge in the sagacious shelves of Shelf Indulgence

Photo Courtesy of Anna Lynn Winfrey
Second-year Sky Bowling and third-year Hannah Hoogerwoerd study at the cafe.

Shelf Indulgence has been open for about two and a half years. The used book cafe offers great deals on good reads, delicious eats, house-made pastries and locally roasted coffee drinks. The cafe also hosts a variety of events and dollar book sales a couple of times per year.

Nikki Snyder, who co-owns Shelf Indulgence with her mother, Donna Frey, said that they bring in new used books daily and have recently started selling other merchandise such as tarot decks and crystals.  

Third-year Jenna Courtade goes to the cafe at least once per week to hang out and sip on coffee.

“I love Shelf [Indulgence] because it’s a place for me to relax, meet new people from the community and have a great iced coffee,” Courtade said. “I love Nikki and Donna and feel very at home when I go in for a drink.”

Starbucks Corp. opened a franchise close to the cafe on Oct. 18, but Snyder said this has not yet significantly affected their sales. 

“We’re still worried because a local business cannot compete with a huge corporation like that, but it’s a different animal, so I think it’ll be fine,” Snyder said.  

Courtade also goes to Starbucks sometimes, but with different intentions.

“I am a Starbucks goer as well, which I feel puts me in a moral quandary sometimes,” Courtade said. “But I go to both places for different reasons. I go to Starbucks for an environment to work and get shit done. I go to Shelf for cheap coffee, good food, and a chill environment.”

“They offer a different experience than Starbucks,” Courtade added. “People want that friendly local-owned place, too.”Shelf Indulgence is located at 2805 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. The cafe is open 9:00 a.m–5:00 p.m. on Mondays, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Sundays, 9:00 a.m–9:00 p.m. Wednesday–Friday and 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

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