Bookends, a new independent bookstore in Historic Ybor City founded by sisters Laurie and Teresa Rodriguez, has received a $5,500 in-kind marketing grant from Working Women Foundation, Tampa Bay Metro and The Write One Creative Services, providing the bookstore with its first opportunity to invest in professional advertising and outreach efforts. Awarded during Women’s Business Month, the grant will help Bookends expand awareness of its new location and connect with more readers, families, authors and visitors throughout the Tampa Bay area.
“Supporting women-owned small businesses has been at the heart of what we’ve done for more than a decade,” said Jessica Rivelli, founder of Working Women of Tampa Bay and the Working Women Foundation. “Over the years, we’ve been able to provide more than $250,000 in grants and in-kind support, including advertising, marketing and other resources that small business owners often have to put on the back burner. For a new business, $5,500 in professional marketing support can make a real difference in getting people through the door.”
For Laurie Rodriguez, the grant represents more than marketing support.
“This will be the first time that we’ve actually had any paid advertisement,” Laurie said. “It just wasn’t in our budget.”
The recognition arrives at a pivotal time for the independent bookstore, which officially opened its doors in July 2026 after a three-year journey that combined historic preservation, entrepreneurship and community-building.
The sisters purchased a historic Ybor City cottage with the vision of creating a welcoming literary gathering place. What began as a renovation soon became a full-scale restoration project requiring significant upgrades to meet commercial and historic preservation standards. Grants from the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County helped support the restoration while preserving the building’s historic character.
“What I love about Laurie and Teresa’s story is that they’ve already done so much of the hard work,” Rivelli said. “They spent years building relationships in the community, showing up at markets and events and then took the huge step of restoring a historic property and opening their own storefront. This grant gives us a chance to come alongside them at exactly the right time and help more people discover what they’ve created.”
Before opening their brick-and-mortar location, Laurie and Teresa operated a mobile bookstore and regularly participated in community markets, building relationships with readers throughout the region. Their presence at the Ybor City Saturday Market helped establish a loyal customer base and introduced their concept to the neighborhood.
The bookstore’s official opening came after months of anticipation from local residents and visitors who frequently stopped by to ask when they could come inside.
Today, Bookends hosts author talks, book signings, poetry readings, book clubs, tarot sessions, craft nights and other literary events. The sisters hope the grant will help amplify those offerings and attract new visitors to both the bookstore and Historic Ybor City.
“You start out on this journey and then you’re standing there thinking, oh my God, what did I do? I don’t know what I’m doing. And so, I think this is great. It’s like, wow, I’m not alone. There is somebody there to help,” Laurie said.
Bookends also reflects the Rodriguez family’s deep ties to Ybor City. Their great-grandparents worked in the cigar factories, and one became the second licensed plumber in Hillsborough County and the first Hispanic plumber to receive a license. The bookstore honors that heritage by sharing stories of Ybor’s past, including the tradition of the lector who read aloud to cigar workers.
Over the past three years, Laurie and Teresa have partnered with numerous local businesses and organizations, including Centro Asturiano, E4 Ybor Saturday Market, Gasparilla Distillery, BarrieHaus Beer Co., Newman Cigar Company, The Commodore, Corner Club, The Women’s Creative and 610 Brewing.
“We’re out there in the community and talking to everyone and making connections,” Teresa said. “And it has paid off.”
Bookends is now open and welcoming readers, families, neighbors, authors and artists. The sisters’ goal is simple: to create a space where everyone feels at home.
Bookends is located at 2208 E. 2nd Ave., Ybor City, FL 33605. Hours of operation are Sunday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday noon to 6 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The bookstore is closed Monday and Tuesday. Follow Bookends on Facebook and Instagram at @BookendsYbor.
