Watermark’s cafe is currently a construction zone. Here’s what’s happening:
The new owners of Watermark Books & Cafe, at 4701 E. Douglas, are in the middle of their first big project: a massive remodel of the store’s popular cafe, which has turned part of the bookstore into a construction zone.
But when everything is complete, cafe visitors will find a cozy, modern seating area, a new basement dining room and a redesigned setup that will help the cafe flow more seamlessly into the bookstore, said Erin Potter, who in April bought the 49-year-old bookstore with her husband, Ryan.
At the moment, the setup is a tad confusing for patrons of the cafe, which has been part of the bookstore since it moved from Central and Rock to its Lincoln Heights address in 1996. What patrons need to know, though, is that the cafe is still operating as construction continues.
The Potters shut the cafe down completely on Jan. 3, and plastic sheeting went up separating the cafe from the rest of the bookstore. Crews worked quickly on a kitchen expansion project, and the kitchen reopened on Wednesday of last week.
But the main dining area is still closed and will be until early March, when Erin Potter says the project should be complete. In the meantime, though, people can still dine at Watermark. For now, they’ll place their food and drink orders at a spot set up on the backside of the bookstore’s checkout counter.
Then, they can either take their food to go or stay and find a seat either in the ad hoc seating area set up in the young adult section in the northwest corner of the bookstore or in the newly remodeled basement dining area. That space, which is accessible down a seat of stairs adjacent to the under-construction main dining room, was previously known as the Authors Gallery. The small room used to be carpeted and featured an autograph wall covered in the signatures of the many authors who visited Watermark over the years.
Previously, the Authors Gallery was rented out to groups who needed meeting space. But the Potters decided they wanted to refresh the space and give it a different purpose.
They started construction in October, adding new flooring and painting the walls a warm sage green. They added new tables and chairs as well as a few whimsical touches: One of the walls now features a floor-to-ceiling installation of actual books open flat and hung side-by-side. Crews also added a secret door that can be used to access the adjacent Starry Night Room, a larger meeting space where the bookstore puts on story times and craft projects for young patrons. The door looks like a bookshelf and blends seamlessly into the shelves next to it. But give it a little push, and it opens into the next-door room.
Erin Potter said that the remodeled author’s gallery room will be available for cafe seating unless it’s being rented out. The space is perfect, she said, for baby showers, birthday parties and meetings attended by 25 or fewer people. The Starry Night room also is available for rent.
Though the autograph wall had to go, Potter said that it was carefully photographed. She plans to display some of the photos and also create a photo album of the signatures that patrons can flip through.
Better flow, comfy seating
The centerpiece of the remodel project is the main cafe area, which will have a new look and flow when completed, Erin Potter said.
It will get new flooring and will be decorated with modern furnishings, banquette seating and pendant lights, and the owners are adding a small conversation area with a table and two swiveling leather chairs.
“One of the things that we got some feedback on is that people wanted the seating to be more comfortable,” she said, adding that the downstairs dining room also will get two leather chairs. “We’re trying to offer something that’s more cozy, more comfortable.”
Though the counter will remain where it was, it will be situated differently, Erin Potter said. The spot where people ordered and paid previously faced the store’s front doors. When the dining area reopens, the cash register will face into the bookstore, which should help control flow and keep people from lining up to order right next to tables where people are dining, Erin Potter said.
Crews have also removed the tall half-wall, against which the cafe previously stocked napkins, cream and sugar, and a dish-return bin: That wall obstructed the staff’s view of the dining room and the counter. Its removal will make space for a new “baker’s corner” — a little space separated from the dining area by glass, behind which the cafe’s head baker, Natalie Cunningham, will prepare pastries and decorates cookies while patrons watch.
The cafe will offer the same menu of sandwiches, salads, pastries, breakfast items and coffee drinks, but when they took over, the Potters extended the cafe’s hours to match the bookstore’s, making it a dinnertime option as well. The cafe is now open until 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and until 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
“Watermark is such a place for people to gather as a community,” Erin Potter said. “So we wanted to be able to offer more seating and an updated, comfortable space that really flows well.”
The cafe has developed a group of loyal regulars over the years, especially people from the College Hill neighborhood, Erin Potter said. They’ve been going with the flow as the renovations continue.
Though she’s not ready to share an exact reopening date in case delays pop up, Potter said she will share updates on Watermark’s social media pages.
This story was originally published January 26, 2026 at 1:11 PM.
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