CARLSBAD — After six years sitting vacant, the former O’Sullivan’s Irish Pub in Carlsbad’s Old World shopping center has found new life as Carlsbad Village Books, a family-run bookstore attracting customers with its historic charm, cozy atmosphere and growing social media popularity.
The independent bookstore opened July 2, offering children’s, young adult and adult books, along with used books, knitting supplies, board games and other merchandise. One of the city’s few independent bookstores, the shop has become a welcome addition to downtown Carlsbad.
“I like Barnes and Noble, but I love local, small bookshops,” one customer said. “I was really excited to find this bookstore. I just discovered it recently.”
For the owners, the former pub seemed like an ideal location.
“It’s an old pub with all this brick and wood and nooks and crannies,” co-owner Tim Wrisley said. “This is perfect for a bookstore. So, we got the keys in January 2026.”
The bookstore was founded as a tribute to the owners’ mothers and their shared love of reading.
“It was founded mainly by my sister, Laura Wrisley, and her husband, Tim Wrisley, as a tribute to both of their mothers, who loved to read,” said Jon Heeren, the store’s director of operations. “My family especially likes to go to independent bookstores.”
Heeren said the family recognized an opportunity to fill a gap in Carlsbad’s retail landscape, where independent bookstores have become increasingly scarce.
“We knew there was a gap in Carlsbad and that we had to travel a long way,” Heeren said. “There used to be a well-known and beloved bookstore locally that’s not here anymore. So we knew there was an opportunity here and that the community would embrace this.”
Beyond selling books, the family wanted to create a welcoming space where residents could gather, browse and spend time away from their screens.
“It’s not just a bookstore,” Wrisley said. “It’s such a communal place to gather. Especially in this day and age, with everything being digital, we intentionally tried to make it a gathering place, something a little more than just a bookstore.”
The building’s Tudor-style architecture, exposed brick walls, wooden bookshelves and cozy nooks have become some of its biggest attractions.
“I really like the atmosphere and the building itself,” a customer said. “It’s just beautiful and stands out from the rest of the area. It has an older vibe that I really like.”
To preserve that atmosphere, the owners have deliberately kept televisions out of the store.
Beyond the bookshelves, customers will find Marla’s Cafe, a coffee shop named after Wrisley and his sister’s mother.
“I think coffee and books go well together,” Heeren said. “We wanted to reflect what our mother liked. She liked her tea and her books, and those two things always went together.”
Incorporating a cafe into the bookstore “always was the plan,” Wrisley said.
Anna Maynard, who has worked as a barista at the cafe since it opened, said the combination makes the bookstore an inviting place to spend an afternoon.
“I love it so much because you can come here and just have a lovely day, get a drink, read a little something, pick something up, and it’s perfect,” Maynard said. “I love coming here on my days off and just reading. It’s beautiful.”
Maynard said the family-run business has also fostered a close-knit environment among employees, many of whom have known one another for years.
“I love my coworkers because I’ve known a lot of them for years,” Maynard said. “It’s family-run with lots of family friends, so it really just feels like home. You always have someone you can count on if you’re having a bad day, and I feel like that has made it such a positive working experience.”
She added that the atmosphere and customers make the job even more enjoyable.
“I also just love the space, and I love the people who come in,” she said. “All of them are super cool.”
Wrisley said opening the bookstore was a collective effort, with friends and family members helping finance the venture.
“It’s kind of a community venture rather than just us,” he said.
Since opening, Carlsbad Village Books has attracted considerable attention on social media, with videos showcasing its storybook appearance drawing hundreds of thousands of views.
On Instagram, @tastingsandiego described the shop as “San Diego’s newest fairytale bookstore” in a reel that has garnered nearly 400,000 views. On TikTok, @milanasbooknook called the bookstore “straight out of a storybook” in a video that received more than 120,000 views.
The online exposure has translated into increased foot traffic, sometimes catching the owners by surprise.
“If we have a day that’s super busy out of nowhere, then we know somebody must have dropped something on Instagram and that the word’s getting out,” Heeren said. “It’s really great.”
Wrisley said social media’s influence has been particularly noticeable among visitors who arrive with their phones already recording, eager to capture the bookstore’s distinctive interior.
“You could visibly see who was coming in from Instagram because people would come in with their phones on, filming,” Wrisley said. “We even had people say, ‘We drove 40 miles because we wanted to get out and do something and see this.’”
The attention has helped bring a steady stream of visitors to the store, he said.
Despite the enthusiastic reception, the business has faced challenges, including unexpected expenses associated with importing merchandise.
Wrisley recalled ordering knitting supplies from a company in the United Kingdom, only to encounter an import charge that exceeded the shipment’s value.
“They charged our card for the $200, but the UPS guy would not leave it with us until we paid a $300 tariff,” Wrisley said.
Still, Wrisley said the rewards of opening the bookstore have outweighed the challenges, particularly the opportunity to turn a longtime family dream into a gathering place for the community.
“It was just so rewarding seeing us finally open … and getting to see (Laura’s) dream come true was pretty neat,” Wrisley said.
