If you want a bookstore where you can also eat lunch, catch a concert or join a book group, Story & Song sits at 1430 Park Avenue in the Amelia Park neighborhood of Fernandina Beach, a short drive from the Centre Street shops. Mark and Donna Paz Kaufman, who've worked in the book business since the 1980s, opened it in February 2018 as Story & Song Neighborhood Bookstore Bistro. In 2022 they formed Story & Song Center for Arts & Culture, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that now runs the store, bistro, art gallery and programs together.
The bookstore stocks new releases, bestsellers and classics, a kids and young adult section, books about Amelia Island, cards, puzzles, games and work by local artisans. Its book group meets the first Thursday of each month at 5 p.m., and author visits and a children's StoryTime are on the calendar too. If you're buying for someone else, there's a personal shopping service, gift wrapping is complimentary, and the store will ship anywhere.
The bistro serves brunch, lunch, pastries, locally roasted coffee and espresso drinks, plus wine and craft beer. You can eat in the bookstore, the gallery or the Wings Mural Secret Garden Courtyard. Posted hours:
- Bookstore: Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Bistro: Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Both stay open later during events.
Evenings bring the long-running "An Evening of Story & Song" concert series, theater, retreats and dinners, and the space has also hosted the Amelia Island Jazz Festival and Amelia Island Opera. For a more traditional browse through two floors of new and used books, The Book Loft is downtown on Centre Street.
Several Story & Song events sell tickets in advance, and reservations and bookings can lock in seats before you arrive.