Emily Peterson is applying the finishing touches to HoneySpell Cafe, a North Spokane fantasy-inspired cafe expected to open in September with a business model built around coffee, community events, and lessons learned from running Page 42 Bookstore.

Peterson is developing the 1,700-square-foot cafe largely on her own through hands-on work. The cafe’s whimsical design featuring deep blue walls and gold accents will complement a menu with themed and rotating drinks while creating a space for gaming clubs, vendor markets, and other gatherings. 

HoneySpell Cafe, the trade name for HoneySpell LLC, is located in a multitenant retail building at 10115 N. Newport Highway along with Los Habaneros LLC and Eddie's Kitchen & Tavern. The property is located west of Newport Highway and Northpointe Plaza, which is anchored by major tenants such as Safeway, Total Wine & More, Target, and Dick's Sporting Goods.

Upon opening in September, the cafe will operate noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from noon to 10 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

For Peterson, finding the right venue was a challenge, as she toured a dozen potential locations. But, once she viewed the space previously occupied by Hop Chaos Brewing Co., she knew it matched her vision, she says. 

She's approaching the buildout of the cafe with a do-it-yourself mentality that has been useful throughout her career, currently taking on the design, painting, renovation work herself, rather than contracting the work out. 

Peterson is launching her new venture following several years of small-business ownership experience as co-owner of Page 42, a bookstore located at 4022 E. Sprague. Peterson purchased the business in January 2021, where she developed systems for managing employees, organizing events, and building an audience around the store. Those skills have made forming HoneySpell easier than starting a business from scratch, she says.

“I know how to build a system ... that guides and builds employees by tapping into their specific interests,” Peterson says.

Implementing a similar approach at HoneySpell, Peterson says eventually cafe employees will be responsible to manage specific gaming clubs, groups, programs, and other projects based on the specific interests of each employee. 

Peterson is seeking to hire one employee and plans to grow up to four employees within the first year. 

The shift to coffee isn't a new experience for her. She explains that she previously worked at a few Spokane-area coffee shops as a teenager, experiencing both slower, detail-oriented service and fast-paced drive-thru operations. The contrast taught her about the importance of balancing customer relationships with efficiency and profitability, she says.

“I enjoyed the fast pace,” Peterson explains. “I enjoy the direct and tangible nature of solving someone’s problem. You have a need, I can make something and hand it to you. It's something simple that helps.”

HoneySpell is designed to expand another element Peterson developed at Page 42: using the business as a gathering space. This spring, a fantasy market hosted at Page 42 drew more than 2,000 people and generated over $20,000 in sales in one day, Peterson says. The turnout helped reinforce the concept at HoneySpell.

“When the economy is tough and when the world is a little dark and scary, people lean harder into their forms of escapism,” Peterson says.

The fantasy genre will influence the design of the cafe without limiting the venue exclusively to book-centered activities.

Her vision includes offering journaling hours, book swaps, craft gatherings, chess lessons, and Dungeons & Dragons groups for both beginners and experienced players, she says. A “Wandering Vendor Wednesdays” event is in the works with the goal to give creators a temporary space inside HoneySpell to demonstrate and sell their work.

Rather than charging rent, Peterson plans to collect a percentage of item sales.

“If they don’t sell anything, I don’t take anything, because the goal is not to take away,” Peterson says. “The goal is to build something together.”

That community emphasis also extends to HoneySpell’s long-term operating plans. Peterson says that eventually, she wants the cafe to stay open later than traditional coffee shops. By the third year, she expects HoneySpell to host three or four weekly events and remain open until midnight two nights a week. The later hours will provide a gathering space for people who want to socialize without going to a bar, Peterson says.

“If you have a long day and you don’t finish up 'til 8 o’clock, there is nowhere you can go to connect with people that is not completely alcohol-centered,” Peterson contends.

HoneySpell eventually may offer mead or sweet wine for a limited time, but Peterson says alcohol would not be a focal point.

A pay-it-forward program, called a "Blessing Branch," also is under consideration to allow customers to purchase an item for someone who otherwise could not afford it. 

Longer term, Peterson says she hopes HoneySpell will evolve into a model that can expand beyond Spokane. Franchising opportunities will be explored over the next five years, but will not involve identical stores. Instead, Peterson says she wants future operators to follow common systems and values while retaining the freedom to shape locations around respective communities.

Her experience building Page 42 from a bookstore into an event-driven business has given her confidence the model can work again, she says.

“I think I can do that again with coffee,” Peterson says. “Only with more opportunities for deeper connections.”