Books, Black, & BYOB
Gothy, late-night reading lounge casts a spell on San Antonio
Even as some bars and clubs stay open late, it's hard to find a warm, inviting place to read a book after 2 am. That might sound like a very niche ask, but a new lounge is making sure folks have the option — and it's getting traction quickly.
Libros, which calls itself both a "reader's lounge" and a "book club," is so far only open for several hours a week: 2-5 am on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. There's a lot that seems to be in the works, including daytime hours for the diurnal creatures, but it's already buzzy on Reddit and picking up steam on Instagram since its January 29 opening.
The beautiful space at 607 W. Hildebrand Ave. is shrouded in black, with many table lamps inside casting a red glow throughout the space. There is a sufficient collection of velvet seating, area rugs, and curios cabinets to seduce the nearby vampires in, who can bring their own wine as long as they "keep it close" — meaning, keep your wine to yourself.
Photos show that there are already some books on the premises. The founder has also posted a small series of titles along with a message about curating the new community: Books of Blood by Clive Barker, Prince Lestat (in The Vampire Chronicles series) by Anne Rice, and MacBeth by William Shakespeare. They have also been posting other titles in the account's stories.
"Guys i built this for you. Do as u please. Brainstorm & Orchestrate!" the post reads. Feel free to DM us with ideas. We can do sunset reads in the back yard.. reviews w cheese. Adults can bring some wine just keep close. "This place will blossom but we want to grow it with you. We are working on the daytime schedule but definitely want late hours for people in the service industry or late shift nurses etc… even dj’s want to hang out after a gig."
It also mentions that donations are especially helpful, which along with books include $5 individual donations (presumably at the door).
There does not seem to be a centralized list of offerings yet, but here are developments various Instagram posts by Libros have promised or suggested:
- Daytime hours
- Movie nights
- Space rentals for groups
- Hookah
- Coffee
- Sunset reads
- Reviews and cheese
- Remote work (WiFi is already available)
- Listening to records (Portishead and The Beatles recommended)
- Reading in the rain
- Board games
More information about Libros is chaotically, endearingly available via Instagram.