Dorothy June Booksellers Marks Three Years in Downtown Foley, Opens Telegraph Espresso Bar Inside the Shop

FOLEY, Ala. — Three years after opening its doors, Dorothy June Booksellers in downtown Foley is celebrating an anniversary and a new addition: the Telegraph Espresso Bar.

In an era dominated by large chains and online retailers, the shop at 107 W. Orange Ave. has become a gathering place for readers in Baldwin County. For owner and founder Reide Irwin, the milestone is a testament to the hard work and love poured into the business, and to the friendships it has brought into her life, many of them through the store’s Dottie J’s Book Club.

“It’s such a crazy thing because I just feel like time has flown by so fast,” Irwin said. “It’s been really, really cool to just see the community that has grown in the last three years, the friends I’ve made, the people I’ve met, and that’s what matters the most to me through all this.”

A lifelong love of reading

Irwin grew up in Foley. Her interest in books began early, when her mother, Jodi, volunteered at the local Scholastic Book Fair while Irwin was in elementary school. Her family members are avid readers, and Irwin and her sister grew up on classic series such as Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys and the Boxcar Children.

“It’s never really stopped. It’s just grown,” Irwin said of her love of reading.

She went on to study English and film at Belmont University in Nashville and worked in film in New York before returning to her hometown. When she came back, she noticed something missing.

“Whenever I moved back this way after college and working in New York for a few years, I was like ‘I can’t believe we don’t have a small independent bookstore that only sells new books and does events for the community,’ and so I really wanted to bring that and provide that,” she said.

She opened Dorothy June Booksellers in 2023.

Named for two great-grandmothers

The store’s name carries family history. It combines the names of Irwin’s two great-grandmothers, one named Dorothy and one named June, who both loved to read. The book club is named for Dorothy, who went by “Dottie” or “Dot.”

What you’ll find on the shelves

Dorothy June carries new books in every genre, both fiction and nonfiction, along with children’s books and titles by local authors. Readers looking for a particular book can place an order through the shop, which also ships nationwide.

Independent bookstores often set themselves apart through personal recommendations, community events and carefully chosen selections, and those are the qualities Irwin set out to bring to downtown Foley.

Midnight releases and Swiftie parties

Events are a big part of the store’s identity. Dorothy June hosts midnight release parties for highly anticipated books and listening parties for new music releases, including Taylor Swift’s most recent studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”

“I am a huge Swiftie and I feel like anyone who knows me knows that, and so when Taylor Swift’s album came out last fall, I was like ‘We have to do an event here. It’s just going to be too much fun,’ and so I ordered all of the Taylor Swift books I could find, so we still tied in books there, and we just had a blast,” Irwin said.

The store has also taken part in downtown Foley events, joining other merchants in community celebrations that bring shoppers to the historic district.

The story behind the Telegraph Espresso Bar

The shop’s newest feature, the Telegraph Espresso Bar, also has a family connection. Irwin said her grandfather’s great-grandfather worked as a telegraph operator at the local railroad station when he first moved to Foley. The railroad played a central role in Foley’s early growth, and the town’s historic depot is now a museum downtown.

“Because of that, I was like ‘There’s a cool tie in there,’ because telegraphs, telegrams were like early communication and now it’s like we have texting, we have social media, you meet and chat with a friend over coffee and you’re swapping stories, so to me, it’s all communication,” Irwin said. “It’s all storytelling and it all kind of goes together.”

On the menu

The coffee bar serves Valor Coffee, roasted in Alpharetta, Georgia, with hot and cold options. Its fall menu includes seasonal drinks such as a Pumpkin Butter Latte and a Spiced Apple Pie Chai.

Irwin said she would not add coffee unless it met a high standard.

“I did a lot of traveling and I’ve tried a lot of coffee,” she said. “I care so much about coffee that I was like, ‘If we’re going to add that to the bookstore, it needs to be good quality.'”

Pairing books and coffee is a popular formula for independent bookstores, giving customers a reason to linger, meet friends and return more often.

‘My favorite thing I’ve ever done’

Three years in, Irwin says opening Dorothy June is the best decision she has made.

“It really brings me joy every day to come in. It’s my favorite thing I’ve ever done,” she said. “I would say the most rewarding thing is truly the people I’ve met and the friends I have made, as silly or cheesy as that might sound, just because I look back and I’m like ‘I wouldn’t know most of these people if I hadn’t started this business with my support of my family and just the people I met,’ so that’s honestly my favorite part.”

If you go

• What: Dorothy June Booksellers and the Telegraph Espresso Bar
• Where: 107 W. Orange Ave., downtown Foley
• Offers: New books in all genres, children’s books, local authors, special orders and nationwide shipping, book club and community events
• Coffee: Valor Coffee, with a seasonal fall menu