Open Book

VEGAN REVIEW FOR FRGMNT CAFEwas staying at the Aloft hotel a few doors down. this was a great option for morning coffee & vegan pastries!very friendly staff. open, clean & modern space.wish I was around during business hours for the other spaces!

I love how this building has so many things to it. Not only is it a gallery, but a local book store and coffee shop. I adore the artwork that was displayed and how they use two air purifiers. Customer service was great and parking was no problem. It is street parking so do have the app ready

Open Book is so unique, it's hard to describe! A center dedicated to books? A marketplace of vendors relating to books? The Open Book building has several tenants: a coffee shop (FRGMNT), Milkweed Editions (a bookstore that has Milkwood books as well as books by other publishers), the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, and others. My friend and I stopped by this weekend when we were visiting Minneapolis, and we had some drinks at FRGMNT and did some shopping at Milkwood and the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. It's a great place for booklovers. Check it out.

Only my second time here. My understanding is that there are many services offered, but I've only visited for private meetings after which I stuck around to get work done. I like that in addition to drinks and smalls snacks they also offer light foods (breakfast and lunch) to keep you sustained as you get work done. Huge perk being it really sucks when you're in a groove, but need to cut things short because you're starving and need more than a muffin. I also like that there's a free parking lot and ample seating on the first level, including a large table (behind staircase) that seats 10people. Speaking of seating on the second level are some more seats. While it's quieter up there, I'm not a fan of the seating (in the open area) . The chairs are low, and the desk a bit too high (for the chairs) which results in shoulders being positioned uncomfortably high. Perhaps a taller person may not notice, but at 5' 4"....I do. The tried working with my laptop on my lap, but that's also uncomfortable, given how narrow then wooden armrest is. I feel confined and find that my elbows really don't have much room. That said, my point is while upstairs is quieter, ergonomically speaking it's not the better.... so work downstairs.

I enjoyed a triple author reading on a Friday night. They have a parking lot right next to the building which was a delight for this suburbanite in the city!An open spaces coffee shop is on the right as you enter the main doors and a book store is on your left. After asking the security guard where to go I saw the sign for the Open Book readings at the bottom of the cool curved staircase.Upstairs had a cozy area with some chairs and couches for reading. For the event they had tables set up to sell books by the author's from Maher's & Quinn booksellers ( a wonderful bookstore!), for snacks I found out later, and the ticket table.Purchasing my ticket online beforehand made it quick and easy to check in. There was ample seating and a good turnout! I was actually glad I showed up about 10 minutes late because I initially felt like I was crashing a private meeting. The announcer was listing off names of people in the audience. I gathered it was for the writing workshops they do at the Loft Literary Center which is a part of the Open Book.I really enjoyed each author's reading of their own works. They were all so talented! Vulnerable and yet strong in telling their personal stories in their prose! I would definitely attend another one!I was a bit uncomfortable during the Q&A, yet briefly considered beginning a writing career of my own. I almost asked how one procures a mentor through their mentor workshops anyway! I decided to just turn a notebook into a journal when I got home and see how I often I would write first. My Yelp reviews and Facebook posts might get more interesting...Or entertaining!Afterwards I made a mad dash for the lobby to purchase the short story collection that had drawn me here in the first place. I was taken aback with the fancy sammies, wine, and water offered. I again felt like I was crashing someone's graduation party or something!I think because it seems to be such a close knit, supportive community of artistic writers I felt a bit out of place. But I would definitely venture into this fascinating world again for another peek!

A quirky establishment for sure! A great range of drinks with a lot of cool and unique options. Food and drink options were very reasonably priced in comparison to a lot of MSP coffee places, and no sacrifice of quality or quantity was made. The seating fills up super quickly so watch out for that. Pictured below is their vegetarian (can be made vegan) reuben. In place of the meat, they used tofu. The sandwich was like $7-8 and came with a side of chips. I've never had a reuben (i don't eat pork or beef) but it tasted just fine.

Would I be lawyer if I had not discovered Open Book? Probably. Would I have become INSANE over the course of three years on my path to becoming a lawyer? Definitely. Ok, lets back up. I first had a delicious latte at Open Book's cafe on the suggestion of a law school classmate who wanted to catch up before the end of a harrowing 1L year (shared trauma bonding). Since then, I logged at least 300 hours (conservative estimate) studying, meeting, eating and drinking here. First, the space: a wide open industrial building, with an open facade of windows that stream sunlight all day. The floors are wood planked, and everything is somehow understated and arresting, industrial but warm. The cafe has little clustered work areas of small leather booths, medium size wood tables and chairs, and long tables for large groups. There are ample outlets around much of the space. The ground floor features a cafe that makes various lattes and features a small but decent selection of salads and sandwiches. Not gonna lie, my favorite feature as a budget conscious, half-dead law student was the 3PM daily happy hour featuring 3 local beers on draft and an equal number of wines. I always told myself I had "earned" it after a grueling study session.As a bookworm I especially appreciate the writers workshops and rotating book-related free art gallery. Finally, my favorite little-known feature of the place? The MAGNIFICENT patio upstairs commanding a view of downtown and the new vikings stadium. Perfect for procrastinating for an exam or sipping a cold brew on a gorgeous Minneapolis summer afternoon.

Very cool place to be. I enjoyed looking around at everything. I also tried the poetry gum ball machine. Which is a gum ball machine filled with poems. I loved how welcoming and warm the energy was in the store. It felt very personable there. Definitely found my happy place.

Fell in love with this space upon my first visit to Minnepolis. I almost missed it too had I not just looked up while walking down the street from my hotel. While I wish I would've been able to be in town when they were having an author reading, I explored the upstairs space, got a free poster, had the best coffee drink (The Novelist), and bought a couple books from the bookstore. If I lived in the city, I would be a regular here and to the events they have.

This uniques establishment has an awesome coffee bar, gift shop, art gallery, and paper making library. You will be amazing by the creativity this place showcases.