Philosophers & Fools, located at 50 Bogard St., Ste. A is a cool concept that is still relatively new to the city. Opened in March, the space is Charleston’s only bookstore bar. We recently caught up with Jenny Ferrara, who is 1/2 of the duo behind this local establishment.
How did the concept of Philosophers & Fools come about?
The idea for Philosophers & Fools is one Michael and I had been talking about for a while. It was our “someday” plan, and then a couple of years ago, we decided that “someday” is now. We are avid readers who like to enjoy a glass of wine or a beer while reading. We wanted to create a space where you can do just that. A space that cultivates conversation. A space that you can come in by yourself, and it’s totally normal to read a book at the bar. A space to meet up with friends and enjoy a quality glass of wine or a beer, some snacks, and just chill.
What snacks and drinks are offered at the shop?
We’ve put as much thought and curation into our wine and beer lists as our books. Our wines are natural/sustainable/organic leaning and our beers are craft. Our wines and beers range in price, but it was important to us when creating our menu to have, without sacrificing quality, a wine on the menu for under $10/glass and a beer on the menu at $5 or less. We also offer hot and iced coffee, tea, craft sodas, and seltzers.
As for snacks, we pop popcorn daily, carry baked goods from Sugar Bakeshop, and for something a little more substantial we have three toasties, which are hot pressed sandwiches we make as you order them, to choose from (served with Lowcountry Kettle Chips).
Philosophers & Fools is open on Tuesday + Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday, 12 to 5 p.m.
Photo by Brennan Wesley
What types of books are at the shop?
We carry all new books for purchase. Our hope is that no matter what you like to read, you can find a book at Philosophers & Fools. We have a wide variety of genres in both fiction and non-fiction, as well as children’s books.
Can you give us a great book/beverage pairing?
Every Thursday on our social media channels (Instagram and Facebook) we post a book + beverage pairing. A recent one that we had so much fun with is pairing Fiction, a red wine from Field Recordings out of California, with 4 books. How can you just pick one book to pair with a wine called Fiction? Fiction (the wine) is a red blend of nine grapes, so our book pairings were fiction novels with multi-narratives — each grape adds a layer to the wine just like each narrative in the novels.
Is there anything new going on with the bookstore?
We have a lot going on with new books every week, new wines and beers rotating onto the menu, and upcoming events in the works. Follow us on Instagram for the latest news.
Pick a book and get cozy.
Photo by Brennan Wesley
Have you read anything good recently that you can share with us?
Yes, how about two? “James” by Percival Everett and “The Paris Novel” by Ruth Reichl. James is a masterful retelling of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim; an intensely poignant read. “The Paris Novel” is a story of self-discovery, found family, culinary delights, and a sense that it is never too late to become who you are meant to be. Reichl’s background as a food critic creates mouth-watering descriptions of all the food mentioned in the book.
Is there anything we have to look forward to with the bookstore?
We are working on some upcoming events at the store that we hope to announce soon.
