Talking Animals Books in Grapevine has turned the upstairs of its original storefront into an enchanted forest, complete with a hand-painted mural, fake trees and vines, a playhouse, and fairy lights strung overhead for kids and parents to linger in. The Grapevine bookstore opened the new upstairs lounge on Aug. 31, giving families a dedicated hangout space stocked with toys, games and cozy seating areas.
The transformation is the latest step in a broader reshuffling that has been unfolding since co-owners Katy Lemieux and Valerie Walizadeh opened Talking Animals Books in 2023, as reported by Community Impact. Walizadeh conceived the enchanted forest theme herself, and local artist Celia Strang painted the sprawling forest mural and designed the trees and playhouse, according to the outlet's reporting. Strang also paints window designs at the company's other location, the report notes.
The upstairs makeover follows a June 2026 shift that converted the original 103 W. Worth St. storefront into a bookstore built almost entirely for children, keeping just one shelf for adult titles, per the same account. That change was made possible after Talking Animals Books opened a second, larger location at 909 S. Main St., which now carries a wider selection of books along with a coffee bar. The original space also includes a changing table in the bathroom, the store's report indicates.
A Historic Bank Building Turned Kids' Reading Nook
The original storefront sits inside a 122-year-old building with its own colorful past — a former bank once robbed by Bonnie and Clyde's gang, according to Community Impact. A preserved teller station inside has been repurposed as a children's reading nook, and the staircase wall features historical narrative displays documenting the robbery, the outlet reports. When it opened in 2023, Talking Animals Books became the first independent bookstore in Grapevine's history, Community Impact reported at the time.
The Main Street expansion, inside a mixed-use development called The 925, took over space formerly occupied by OG Cellars Winery, which closed in June 2025, according to CultureMap Dallas. The newer location kept wine offerings on its menu to preserve some of the former winery's legacy, per that outlet's reporting. Lemieux and Walizadeh originally got the whole venture off the ground by raising $54,000 from more than 350 donors through a late-2022 Kickstarter campaign after running into traditional bank financing hurdles, CultureMap Dallas has reported, with the shop's name tied to the talking animals of Narnia.
Building a “Third Place” for Families
Lemieux told Community Impact that the remodeled store is meant to welcome kids and families, and that the goal is to make children feel welcome whether or not they consider themselves readers. She also said the store will host activities during the city's Christmas Capital of Texas season. Grapevine earned that title from the Texas State Senate in 2009 through Senate Proclamation No. 556, and the city will have around 1,400 holiday events and expects thousands of visitors, according to Community Impact.
Lemieux and Walizadeh have described designing Talking Animals Books as a “third place” — a gathering spot separate from home and work — meant to draw on foot traffic in Grapevine's walkable historic downtown, per Community Impact's earlier reporting. That approach has extended beyond the shop's four walls: in August 2025, the store organized a regional “Bookstore Passport” literary crawl linking 24 independent bookstores across North Texas, from Oak Cliff to Denton, according to KERA News.
Advocacy Amid a National Bookstore Boom
Lemieux has also waded into statehouse politics on behalf of independent booksellers. In spring 2025, she testified before the Texas Legislature against House Bill 1375, a proposal that would have made booksellers civilly liable for displaying materials deemed harmful to minors, KERA News reported. The bill ultimately failed to pass, according to the same report.
The Grapevine shop's expansion arrives amid a broader surge in independent bookselling nationwide. The American Booksellers Association reported in May that 605 new independent bookstores opened across the country in 2025, pushing total ABA membership up 19% to 3,783 locations — part of 151% growth over six years, according to the American Booksellers Association. Grapevine itself was certified a “Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community” by Gov. Greg Abbott and Travel Texas in June 2025, recognizing the city's retail- and hospitality-driven economic strategy, per the Office of the Texas Governor. More information on the enchanted forest lounge and the rest of Talking Animals Books' offerings is available at www.talkinganimalsbooks.com.
