Long-awaited store opens soon near downtown Raleigh. Here’s when to shop
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- Bright Side Books & Wine will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, April 25.
- The store will open at 600 W. Cabarrus St. Suite 107 in the Platform development.
- Bright Side will highlight romance titles and plans to serve wine.
Nearly a year after it was first announced, a new specialty bookstore will open soon near downtown Raleigh.
Located in the Platform development in Raleigh’s “West End,” Bright Side Books & Wine will celebrate its grand opening starting Saturday, April 25 — which is also Independent Bookstore Day.
A version of the store dubbed The Prologue started operating on a temporary basis at 207 S. West St. in early November, serving as a retail and event space for book clubs, author visits and other events. The Prologue closed earlier this month ahead of the grand opening.
Owned by Susannah Baird, Bright Side Books & Wine will highlight the romance genre and offer a comfortable space for readers to shop and hang out.
The store will eventually serve wine but doesn’t yet have its ABC license and will offer non-alcoholic beverages at the grand opening, the business said on social media.
Bright Side Books & Wine, located at 600 W. Cabarrus St. Suite 107, was initially scheduled to open in fall 2025. Two weekends of grand opening events have been scheduled, for April 25-26 and May 2-3.
The store did not respond to The News & Observer’s request for more information.
Bright Side will join The Bike Library, Homebody Yoga & Wellness and nail studio Mood Raleigh at Platform. Down the street, Nordic spa Sauna House Raleigh opened early this year, offering saunas and cold pools.
Independent bookstores in downtown Raleigh
Downtown Raleigh is home to multiple locally owned, independent bookstores.
- One of the newest businesses is The Newsagent’s, which sells used books along with media including magazines, comic books and vinyl records — plus coffee and snacks.
- Blackbird Books & Coffee, located in City Market near Moore Square, offers a selection of new titles across all genres, with an emphasis on female, queer, Black, Indigenous and other diverse authors. It also serves drinks made with beans from Black & White Coffee Roasters.
- So & So Books at 719 N. Person St. offers a selection of North Carolina-focused books in its collection.
This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Long-awaited store opens soon near downtown Raleigh. Here’s when to shop."
