By Steve Van Kooten

If you know someone — or are someone — who can’t function properly before their morning coffee, you’ve got a new and “novel” place to make your morning pit stop.

Nestled on the main strip in Bloomington, two sisters have opened Novel Grounds, a coffee shop and bookstore that offers romance/suspense reads, drinks and pastries.

According to Frankie Copsey, co-owner, their business venture was born out of a desire to try something that appealed to their mutual interests.

“It’s a combination of things: I had been working in state government, and I just wanted a change; Shelby [Hietpas] and I have another business that’s online; and I like books and coffee... I just kind of pitched it to her as, ‘Hey, do you want to do a romance/thriller bookstore and coffee shop?’ and she was like, ‘Yep,’” she said.

At the same time, her sister noticed there wasn’t a coffee shop near Bloomington that offered lattes, espressos and other elaborate coffee-based drink options.

Copsey and Hietpas announced their new business this past May and opened their storefront on Sept. 22 after a week of soft openings.

“We let them get a sneak peek early in that week, and on Saturday it was like, ‘We’re open!’” recalled Hietpas.

During Novel Grounds’ four-month gestation period, Copsey and Hietpas looked at several locations, including a property on the edge of Patch Grove, before choosing the building on Canal Street.

“We were looking for high-traffic areas that were close to us,” said Hietpas. The two of them grew up in Bagley and currently live in the Bloomington area.

“I think that was a big thing: we wanted a sense of community and feeling that we’re part of the hub of the community... feeling like we’re part of town was important to us,” said Copsey.

Anyone who comes into Novel Grounds is met with a cozy atmosphere with tables and chairs near the front window and a service counter, where people can order drinks and pastries and pay for their new reading material. Bookshelves are arranged across from the service counter and in the back of the store. When Copsey and Hietpas chose their location, they had put a lot of work into their retail space.

“There was no counter, there was no kitchen area — none of this was here — and they had to add the bookshelves in the backroom, so there was quite a bit of work to be done,” said Copsey.

Six days of the week, Copsey and Hietpas offer a variety of drinks. Some of their most popular menu items are the Banana Bread Secret, Caramel Heartthrob and White-Lace Affair — all named to play into the romance/thriller book genres they sell on their shelves.

Novel Grounds offers a wide selection of brand-new and gently used books in genres geared toward their target demographic.

“We knew in bigger cities that was something very popular: that romance niche and also bleeding into thrillers and suspense. That’s something that our demographic we’re aiming for is into,” said Copsey.

Hietpas pointed out other stores have tried a similar cross-section of interests and found success.

Novel Grounds has a stock of new books, but they also operate as a book consignment shop. A customer can buy a book, finish it and, if it’s in good condition, return it for a discount.

“They’re able to get 25 percent off their order when they come back. That way we can keep recycling our books through. We’re also selling the used books at a discount,” said Copsey.

Copsey says that keeps the books more accessible and helps them compete with online vendors.

“We’re striving to be competitive with places like Amazon... Obviously, we want people to come in and get them here instead of getting them online,” added Hietpas.

Another reason for starting their coffee business is giving women a space to relax, connect and do something for themselves.

“There’s not a lot for women that aren’t into outdoorsy things,” said Copsey.

“Neither [Frankie] nor I really drink, but we both love coffee,” added Hietpas. “It’s a space to sit, hang and, you know, chill that isn’t oriented around drinking —”

“Or your kids or something,” said Copsey. “It’s a place where you can come in, hang for a few minutes, chill out and go.”

Hietpas said people from other communities — even from towns with their own coffee shops — are making a point to come to their store.

“We have a ton of moms with babies to two-year-olds who come with their friends and hang out for a good amount of time,” she said.

But that doesn’t mean men will get turned away from getting the morning java.

“We don’t want to turn men away — yes, this is a woman’s space, but men are welcome,” said Hietpas.

And for anyone who doesn’t know about all of these fancy drinks (what the heck is the difference between a latte? An espresso? A macchiato?), Copsey and Hietpas don’t have a problem sharing their expertise.

“If you’re hesitant, just stop in,” said Copsey. “If you haven’t ordered a coffee before or don’t know what to get, we’re more than happy to walk you through it.”

“We feel like we’re slowly educating Bloomington, one coffee at a time,” said Copsey.

Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. You’ll have to hit the Folgers on Sunday.

Novel Grounds is located at 420 Canal Street, Bloomington, WI.