North Bethlehem has welcomed its first all-fantasy bookshop — Sorcery and Scripts.
The store, located at 74 W. Broad St., carries a variety of fantasy books and a large collection of fantasy-themed board games.
Shelby Schleyer, a Lehigh Valley native and owner of the store, grew up visiting North Bethlehem from her home in Quakertown. She chose Bethlehem as the home of her store because of its proximity to universities and its appeal to tourists.
Schleyer, an avid reader of fantasy-romance, also known as “romantasy,” was inspired by the rise of romance-only bookstores and decided to open her own niche shop.
She said she also decided to sell board games because interest in fantasy books often overlaps with board and role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons.
Schleyer said the store allows readers to immerse themselves in fantasy, while connecting with others who share the same passions through community events.
Schleyer, who majored in biology in college, shifted from working in a research lab to bookselling, following her passion and seeking daily interaction with people. She said she considers opening the store a 30th birthday present to herself.
After falling out of love with reading, she only got back into it about three years ago with the release of the novel “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros.
“I had some friends who were also wanting to start reading again, so we kind of formed a friendship around books, and it was easy to keep going,” Schleyer said.
Schleyer’s current read is “Metal Slinger” by Rachel Schneider, the pick of the month for Sorcery and Script’s new “romantasy” book club. It’s the first of several clubs at the store planned around different fantasy subgenres.
The calendar at Sorcery and Scripts is filled with events like Craft Night, Kids Game Day and Blind Date with a Game, where customers can try a board game of their choice.
“I wanted this to be an event-based business, so I want people to come and play board games and come for the book clubs,” Schleyer said. “I just want people to come, enjoy themselves and do something that’s not $50 a person.”
Schleyer said she hopes the events appeal to families, college kids and adults alike. She also plans to open the space to other book and board game clubs around Bethlehem.
This prospect intrigued Erin Smith-Dills, ‘27, the event coordinator for Lehigh’s book club, Chapter and Chats.
She said Chapters and Chats reads books from five genres each month, including fantasy, which is one of their most popular genres.
As a “romantasy” enthusiast, Smith-Dills said she was excited about an all-fantasy store opening near campus and hopes to collaborate in the future for events and fundraisers.
Just over a month since the opening, Schleyer said she is grateful for the warm welcome from the North Bethlehem community.
She also said neighboring businesses and the Downtown Bethlehem Association have supported her through flyers and social media promotions, which have helped spread the word of the store.
One of these posts led Donna Henig, a Bethlehem native, to discover the shop.
“I was at Barnes & Noble the other day wishing they had a larger fantasy section, and then maybe 12 hours later, I saw a thing on Facebook for this place, so I was really excited to come check it out,” Henig said.
A fantasy reader herself, Henig said she plans to continue supporting the small business and has friends in the community eager to shop at Sorcery and Scripts.
“It seems like a really welcoming place,” Henig said. “I’m hoping that people actually utilize it and come and enjoy a place that you can actually just hang out and enjoy the atmosphere.”
Following the preliminary opening on Aug. 6 to gauge interest, the store’s grand opening will be on Sept. 27.
For those interested in fantasy but intimidated by where to start, Schleyer said the search for the right book is worth it.
“It’s hard, but fantasy’s actually a pretty big genre that you can find something that you’re into,” Schleyer said. “It’s all about people’s preferences, but everybody’s got something they like.”
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