ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A St. Petersburg couple with ties to the Home Shopping Network are trying their hands at something new after the multichannel retailer and television network found itself under new ownership and relocated to Pennsylvania.
Kate and Ben Johnson, both avid readers, are set to open a bookstore, Pages & Perks, this June in the Roser Park neighborhood, where they also live.
No exact date has been set as contractors wrap up work in their retail space at 914 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street South, they told Patch.
It’s a huge pivot for the couple, who spent much of their careers either working directly for HSN or in roles adjacent to the company. Ben worked in production for HSN, while Kate worked with businesses trying to sell their products to the network.
When HSN moved to the Philadelphia area last year, they found themself at a crossroads, as they had the option of heading north with the company.
“There was the opportunity for us to move there and be a part of it, or we could dig into St. Pete and plant our roots,” Kate said. “We stayed. We love the community. We love this town. We’re huge St. Pete fans.”
Not only that, but Ben is a third-generation resident - making their son, Cooper, a fourth-generation St. Petian - and his family has called the city home since 1901.
While the change has been daunting, HSN’s move out of state allowed them to pursue this new dream, Pages & Perks.
Initially, they planned to start with a coffee shop, a coffee cart, to start, and slowly expand into a bookstore.
“That way we’d learn the bookstore business,” Kate said.
Instead, they found themselves launching the business the other way around.
In recent months, the couple has been popping up as Pages & Perks at community markets and events - their first was at their son’s preschool at First United Methodist Church - as they planned their brick-and-mortar space.
“We’re still learning our Square system, things like inventory, you know, little things,” Kate said. “We have no idea what we’re doing, right? We’re just learning.”
The bookstore is the first tenant in the Looking Glass Initiative, which is bringing a 1925 building back to life, as well as much-needed shops and services to the growing neighborhood, the couple said.
“It’s like every 20 years or so you have neighborhoods that go through, like, a generational change, and now that’s the time for Roser Park. You have a whole bunch of families in the neighborhood with kids just running around and you didn’t have that 10 years ago,” Ben said, adding, “We made a conscious decision to find a location in this area to give back to the community.”
His wife added, “We love that there’s families that haven’t been there. We love that there’s more families, more younger kids. I feel like there’s more 4- and 5-year-olds there than there were when we first moved there [a decade ago.] And they’re all looking for something to do.”
The couple said that the goal is for Pages & Perks to be more than a bookstore.
The shop will include areas where visitors can hang out or work, a children’s area, and a bar focused on mocktails that also will serve beer and wine.
The space will also host community events, including Dungeons & Dragons, game nights, yoga events, author readings and more.
“A lot of people are really excited to have a hub that they can go to,” Ben said.
Until the shop opens, the business plans to continue appearing at pop-up events around Tampa Bay. Upcoming events include the May 17 Vinoy Market, Books, Booty & Bubbles at Impulse Studios Pole Dance on May 23, and The Underground Book Fair at the Jack Kerouac House on May 30.
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