Julie Gems
The books Julie presses into a friend’s hands. Personal favorites chosen for the feelings, questions and memories they leave behind.
Upstairs at Tarkington House
The
Book Loft.
A bookstore beneath the eaves, overlooking the ice cream parlor below, with a table to gather around and soft places to settle in.
Indiana writers, local authors and Julie’s personal favorites will share the shelves. The Book Loft is an invitation to discover familiar places in another time, explore a new voice and stay for one more chapter.
Coming spring 2027 · Books, reading corners and neighborhood gatherings.
The way upstairs
A little invitation
to keep exploring.
Our plan begins in the foyer: remove the coat closet to reveal the staircase behind it. Beautiful stained wood, warm lighting and a quiet, elegant sign will invite you up to The Book Loft.
Above, the room-dividing walls will give way to an open bookshop, with refinished wood floors and stained-wood bookcases following the attic’s slopes. An oval table with comfortable chairs will make room for meetings and book clubs; a sofa, armchairs and warm lamplight will invite slower afternoons.
The loft will overlook the ice cream parlor through a guarded opening where the front staircase will be removed. A quiet place among the books, still connected to the life of the house below.
Curated with curiosity and care
Every book has a reason to be here.
The writers of Indiana’s Golden Age, later Indianapolis voices and authors working here today will share space with Julie’s personal favorites. These are books chosen for the places they bring to life and the conversations they begin.
Indiana in Ink
Indiana voices, past and present. Novels, poetry, memoir and essays from writers close to home, with familiar names and new voices to discover.
On the shelf: Going All the Way by Dan Wakefield.
We’re choosing our opening selections and welcome introductions from local authors.
Golden Age of Indiana Literature
From roughly 1880 to 1920, Indiana writers reached readers across the country. This shelf celebrates that era and its lasting influence, with Booth Tarkington at its heart: stories of changing cities, childhood, adventure and the natural world.
Explore the seven selections
- The Magnificent Ambersons
- Alice Adams
- Ben-Hur
- Freckles
- A Girl of the Limberlost
- The House of a Thousand Candles
- The Old Swimmin’-Hole and ’Leven More Poems
Selected for our opening shelf in spring 2027. Editions and availability will be announced closer to opening.
Read about Indiana’s literary Golden AgeIndianapolis, Then & Now
Local histories, neighborhood stories and photographs of a changing city. Pair them with the fiction on our shelves to picture familiar streets as they were long ago.
One More Chapter
Fiction, essays and unexpected discoveries chosen to stir curiosity, offer company or begin a conversation. Some make you laugh; others give words to something you have felt for years.
Small Readers, Big Worlds
Read-aloud favorites and childhood stories that invite wonder. Books to share across generations, do the voices for, and remember long after the children can read them themselves.
Our opening collection is taking shape. These are the stories and connections guiding it.
Around the table
Pull up a chair.
Stay for the conversation.
A generous wood table with comfortable chairs and room for everyone’s coffee, notebook and ideas. A place for book clubs, neighborhood meetings and a good conversation among friends.
Book clubsSmall meetingsCreative gatherings
Nearby, soft seating offers a quieter spot to read while the patio and creamery carry on below.
Stories live here
Meet the people
behind the stories.
A child leaning forward for the next sentence. Someone reading a passage aloud because it is too good to keep. A neighbor telling a story you would never have guessed.
That’s the magic we want to make room for.
Read Me Something
The pleasure of being read to.
Our vision for story hour: small listeners, big imaginations and grown-ups who are welcome to get caught up in it too.
The Story Table
Everyone brings a chapter.
We’re planning book signings, author readings and conversations, with room to ask a question, hear the story behind a book and meet the person who wrote it.
On Our Walls
Art made close to home.
Work by local artists will be displayed throughout Tarkington House. Our walls will offer a changing showcase of the creativity around us, with each featured artist credited so you can discover the person behind the work.
Book signings, readings and local art showcases are part of our plans. Dates and featured participants will be announced as opening approaches.
An invitation to authors & local artists
Bring your work.
Become part of the story.
Have a book you’d love to share or artwork you’d like to see on our walls? We’d love to hear from you as we shape Tarkington House’s opening program.
Local authors
Introduce yourself and your book for consideration on our Indiana in Ink shelf. Share a short bio, your connection to the area and a link to your work. If you’re interested in a signing, reading or conversation, tell us that too.
Introduce your bookLocal artists
Tell us about your work and connection to the area. Share a portfolio link or a few images, along with your medium and typical dimensions, for consideration in our wall-art showcases.
Submit art for considerationThese buttons open an email to Julie. You can also write to jewels@tarkingtonhouse.com. Tell us about yourself and include links or samples. Inquiries are for consideration; dates and arrangements will be discussed individually.
Coffeehouse · Creamery · Bookshop
Come in for a treat.
Leave with a story.
A favorite chair. A scoop that is slowly melting. A book you were not looking for. We hope you’ll find your own little ritual here.
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