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Andrea Baca and Amy Covitz took a once-in-a-lifetime leap of faith: they left their careers as attorneys and opened Our Daily Nada, a European-inspired book shop and wine bar in the River Market neighborhood.
Now, after almost a year and a half in business (they opened their doors in August 2018), Baca and Covitz agree that running Our Daily Nada has taught them not just about the role of books in people’s lives, but also the importance of slowing down.
Opening Our Daily Nada “solidified in my mind that people still do love reading, even though there’s so much competing for our attention,” Baca says. Covitz agrees. “People are so busy these days, and they don’t have time to delve into a subject. But it’s so important to take the time to read and find out about the world around us. Books are so important and they always will be.”
Giving people a chance to slow down, unwind, and even luxuriate is a large part of what prompted Baca and Covitz to open Our Daily Nada. For Covitz, opening a bookstore was a dream at least ten years in the making. And when she met Baca while they were both working at a law firm, they soon realized they had a shared passion.
“We talked about books and NPR,” Covitz says. “She got excited about the idea of opening a bookstore.”
That initial excitement helped fuel nearly three years of planning, during which Baca and Covitz took a business class to create their planning framework. And when the space became available along the River Market’s bustling Delaware Street, Baca and Covitz knew it was time to make things official.
“When we saw the space, it helped us decide to open the shop,” Covitz says.
Now, more than a year after Our Daily Nada opened, it’s become so much more than simply a place to buy books. Cozy seating beckons throughout the shop, encouraging customers to stay awhile to read or chat. You’ll also notice a bar as soon as you walk in, another nod to the unhurried, immersive European experience that Baca and Covitz so expertly embraced.
“We recently expanded our wine list and are now offering a European-style brunch,” Covitz says.
“The River Market is such an amazing, walkable area, and we’re excited about what’s happening,” Covitz says. “We want Our Daily Nada to become a neighborhood institution.”
Covitz and Baca are well on their way to that goal. In addition to offering a carefully curated selection of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and children’s books, Our Daily Nada also offers a rotating array of events, ranging from author discussions to writing workshops. The shop can even be rented for special events, and Our Daily Nada has become a popular destination for rehearsal dinners, book club gatherings and, soon, a shop first—a bar mitzvah!
If you’re a bookstore connoisseur, you may notice some nods to iconic shops as you stroll through Our Daily Nada. The piano up front, for example, is an homage to the legendary Shakespeare & Co. bookstore in Paris.
“Shakespeare & Co. was a big inspiration for Our Daily Nada,” Covitz says. “When I was there, I remember someone playing a piano or an organ and said, ‘we have to have one of those!’”
Baca grew up in part in Denver, a longtime home to a thriving independent bookstore scene that includes the beloved and successful Tattered Cover, which opened in 1971. Baca’s upbringing in such a literary-minded location solidified to her the importance of bookstores as places to “retreat and relax.”
And is there a better time to do that than the holidays? Sure, it’s a festive and fun time of year, but it can be hectic, even stressful, too. Yet Our Daily Nada is a haven from the hustle and bustle. Explore the extensive wine list as you catch up with a friend. With Our Daily Nada’s selection of books and gifts (including handmade journals, special literary editions, collectible pins, and more), you can also finish your holiday shopping while you treat yourself.
Speaking of holiday shopping, Our Daily Nada will soon unveil 12 Days of Christmas, daily promotions that count down to Christmas Eve. Follow Our Daily Nada on Facebook for up-to-date details.
Whether you need a gift, a reading recommendation, an impromptu happy hour, or just some creative renewal, you can find all of that and more at Our Daily Nada.
“Community building is our big motivation,” Baca says. “We wanted to create a space where people come together and we want to keep building on that.”
Adds Covitz, “Bookstores have always been a meeting place.”
Meet you at Our Daily Nada?