Step back into your childhood book fair at TBR Books and Tea, a new bookstore with a sprawling selection of reads, retail items, artisanal tea blends and more that’s slated to open this Saturday, April 12.
Situated next to Baton Rouge Succulent Co. on Highland Road, TBR Books and Tea comes from local book lover Jamie Freeman, who wanted to meld her two favorite hobbies: reading and tea drinking. The result? A 2,500-square-foot bookstore filled with new reads, a kitchenette prepped to eventually serve hot or cold teas, a children’s area and cozy seating.
“I just wanted to create the bookstore that I wanted to go to and shop at,” Freeman says.
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Freeman’s initial inventory order contained about 7,500 books from local and national authors in a variety of genres. Each title is stored in a specific section like romance, teens, fiction, nonfiction, new arrivals and more. Freeman plans to rotate selections based on releases and customer demand.
“I love reading, and I love recommending the right book to the right person,” she says. “It’s just the best feeling when they come back and they’re like ‘Oh, that book you recommended? I love that.’”
For the tea part of TBR Books and Tea, Freeman will sell various tea blends. She says she’s currently waiting on approval from the health department to start serving drinks and pastries from the small kitchen area at the front of the store.
“I have always been a tea drinker, ever since I was a little kid. I love tea,” she says. “Back in college, I thought, ‘Oh, maybe it would be cool to open a tea shop or a tea house,’ because we don’t really have many places in Baton Rouge where you can get tea. You’ve got your bubble teas and your loaded teas, but I wanted to bring a bigger selection all in one place so that people could come and find the perfect tea for them.”
The large storefront also houses a children’s area filled with books for little ones and room for story times. To the right, there’s an additional room with tables, chairs, a couch and a faux fireplace for those who want to immediately cozy up with their new read, enjoy a drink or get caught up on work. Freeman points out the shop’s proximity to LSU and says she hopes it becomes a spot for students to work or study.
And still, TBR Books and Tea has more than just what’s in its name. Freeman has also worked to curate a selection of other retail goodies throughout the store. Sprinkled throughout the reads, customers can find notebooks, pens, planners, arts and craft bundles, reading glasses, tote bags, cups, candles and more. Freeman says she loves buying little extras at bookstores, so she knew her shop had to have other retail options, too.
“When you think about the people who are voracious readers, who are reading 100 books a year, or something like that, they’re also usually into the arts and crafts, the stationery and all that kind of stuff. So it all just kind of goes together,” she says.
Freeman says the idea of opening her own independent bookstore came to her back in 2019. But it wasn’t until 2024 that the idea started to come to fruition. After stumbling upon the storefront previously occupied by home boutique Norah, Freeman knew she had to secure the space.
“One day, I took a different route to work than usual, and I passed this building and was like, ‘Wait, hold on, this looks really cool,’” Freeman says. “The front of it is just so cute and symmetrical. It just caught my eye. And so I turned around, came back to the parking lot. I set up a meeting with a realtor, and as soon as I walked in, I just felt like this was the spot. I could immediately envision where everything was going to go.”
She signed a lease in December 2024 and has been working since to create a new book shopping experience for Baton Rougeans. The business name itself even gives a little nod to the Red Stick.
“TBR stands for ‘to be read,’” she explains. “A lot of people will have a TBR list, which is a list of books that they want to read. … I was just thinking about TBR and TBR lists. And I thought, ‘TBR. Hold on, that has BR in the acronym. … That has to be the name.’ And so that’s why, in the logo, the BR is in red and the rest of it’s in blue. I wanted to single out the Baton Rouge part of it.”
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Freeman will hold TBR Book and Tea’s grand opening this Saturday, April 12, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., with giveaways, door prizes, celebratory snacks and more. As the shop begins to operate, she hopes to curate a safe and inviting space for readers, tea lovers or those who need a spot to work or study. And she hopes to open the space to host events and gatherings, like book clubs and more.
TBR Books at Tea is at 7276 Highland Road, Suite B and will be open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Stay up to date by following the bookstore on Instagram or checking out its website.