A new chapter is about to be written in downtown Kernersville.

The space that was most recently Byrdhouse Books will come back to life as Main & Mountain Bookstore, a community-focused shop led by Kernersville native Danielle Nigro Darnell. She spoke with Scope News about her vision for the store, which sits, appropriately enough, at the corner of Main and Mountain streets.

“The town has such a sweet charm to it,” Darnell said. “And I thought that I wanted to have a bookstore with charm, a character and make it for everybody.”

She added that the store’s name speaks directly to that connection: “That’s why I named it Main & Mountain because it had to do with the town. So I really wanted to keep that the focal point.”

Though she has spent more than a decade working as a hairstylist in the Winston-Salem area, Darnell said she has always been an avid reader, drawn to the way books offer “a nice escape from reality.”

When she learned that the prior bookstore was closing, she saw an opportunity to preserve something meaningful for the community.

“And I thought it would be great to just keep it going and really make a store this time for the community,” she said. “And when the building owner came to me and told me about it, I really wanted to do something about it, keep it in town, because I know how much the town loved it.”

What started as a quick spark of inspiration became a mission: “So it really wasn’t something I thought about on the regular. But when it kind of brought to my attention, my antenna went up and was like, this needs to stay here.”

A Bishop McGuinness alum who grew up in Kernersville, Darnell said she loves the town and believes it “deserves a beautiful bookstore.”

She described Main & Mountain’s purpose as creating “a curated, welcoming space where readers of all ages can discover something they love.”

An expanded children’s section will sit in the back, one room will be dedicated to young adults, and the front will house an adult collection spanning a broad range of categories.

“I’m going to have a good variety of books for everyone. Something for everyone, hopefully.”

Darnell is also putting special emphasis on local talent, noting that Main & Mountain plans to partner with creators to host signings, events, and community gatherings designed to bring people together.

For updates and opening announcements, you can follow Main & Mountain Bookstore on Facebook.

She’s aiming to open later this month, — just in time for Small Business Saturday: