Lost World Books to hold grand opening on Saturday

Lost World Books is holding its grand opening Saturday in Downtown Fort Myers with an all-day “End of Summer Bash” to bring the community together.

The store is located at 1815 Fowler St. #3. The festivities begin at 10 a.m.

As part of the event, there will be yoga, a kids and parents jamboree, a science show, food vendors and several other activities during the day.

Lost World Books had their soft opening in June, but this will be their first large event introducing the store to the public.

The bookstore is co-owned by Megan St. John and Alastor Gray.

St. John has wanted to open a bookstore her entire life.

“It had been a lifelong dream of both me and my partner,” said St. John. “We had stemmed a love for reading at a very young age. We figured, why not just do it now? There’s no time like the present.”

St. John has big plans for the bookstore and how she wants it to impact the community.

“Our mission plan is to get people reading again, getting people excited to read and getting books back in people’s hands,” said St. John. “It’s also here for the community. We’re here for all the disenfranchised people that might not have somewhere where they feel like they can be fully creative or let that side of their minds run wild. That’s what we’re trying to show on Saturday.”

Gray recently moved to Florida and said he wanted to do something special for the community.

“I think with moving to Florida last year, I wanted to do something to either be a part of or give back to the community,” said Gray. “I wasn’t sure how to make that a reality. When I met my partner, we both realized that it was a lifelong dream to have a bookstore.”

Their goal for the bookstore is to be more than a bookstore.

“We found a want in the community where there wasn’t,” said St. John. “It’s a space that is open later in the evening that’s a sober environment, one that wasn’t just a library or just a cafe.”

St. John also wants everyone to feel comfortable being themselves when they enter Lost World.

“If you want to go in the middle of the lawn and freestyle dance with your friends because you do flow dancing, I love it. Let’s put it on the lawn and do it with a DJ,” said St. John.

Lost World sells more than just books. They sell kava, kratom, a variety of Asian drinks and coffee.

“We feature locally produced products,” said St. John. “If you’re in the store you’ll notice a lot of the artwork is done by local artists. We also have puzzles, figurines and vinyls. If you see it in the store, it’s probably for sale.”

Gray wants the space to be seen as a place for the community to hang out and linger.

“When it comes to what we’re doing at night, we want to provide an outlet for people who aren’t looking for a party environment or aren’t looking to go out to the bars,” said Gray. “We consider ourselves to be a lounge space. You can play board games with your friends, read a book or listen to music. The options are open.”

Gray also wants people to know that they want the patrons to have a say in the bookstore’s atmosphere.

“On the weekends we want to be more lively and have food and music,” said Gray. “During the week, whatever the vibe is of the people we want to cater to that. People who want to have a good time can do that, but if people want to have a place to study we can be a place for that as well.”

Gray wants everyone who enters Lost World to have a positive experience.

“I hope that people come away from this place thinking to themselves, ‘Wow, I had a nice conversation. I learned something.’ Maybe they are able to look at the world and look at this area in a different light,” said Gray.

For more information on Lost World Books go to their website.