When Knuth Brewing Company outgrew its microbrewery at 225 Watson St. in downtown Ripon and moved across the street, owners David and Marie Knuth talked about selling the historic building. Marie thought it would make a perfect space for someone to open up a bookstore.
“Whenever David and I would go on a little vacation, we’d try to find a bookstore just because they made me feel very calm, and I loved walking in, and I loved the creaky floors, and I loved it when they were in a nice old building,” Marie says.
David had another idea: He suggested Marie open the bookstore herself. “And I’m like, ‘David, I’m a nurse. I can’t; you’re crazy.’ Like, ‘very funny.’ And we just kind of moved on.”
But David kept encouraging Marie, and they began to wonder if it could actually work.
The Knuths renovated the space to add bookshelves and a service desk to the 100-plus-year-old building. “It’s got the creaky floor, and it’s got the tin ceiling,” Marie says. “I didn’t have to do a whole lot to make it exactly how I wanted it to feel.”
Knuth Book Cellar opened on Nov. 7, just in time for the Ripon Holiday WineWalk. The bookstore is the first in Ripon following the closure of Book World in 2013, Marie says.
Knuth Book Cellar will offer both new and used books, and the shop also offers beer and wine for patrons to enjoy while browsing the books. In addition to offering Knuth’s microbrew, “we have Belgian beers, and my husband carefully curated some very interesting European beers,” Marie says. The bookstore also will sell regionally-made snacks as well as artisan wallpaper jewelry made by Katie Meznaric of Cloudy Skies Design of Fond du Lac.
The Knuths’ daughters, Sophia, 12, and Charlotte, 8, will help out with the business, potentially offering children’s book readings. Sophia also “knows the computer system better than I do, so she’s been really helpful with my point-of-sale system,” Marie says. “And they love working the cash register.”
Ripon College has reached out about hosting readings or seminars. “I honestly would love [the bookstore] to become a gathering space, if a bigger group wants to come in for a book club or something like that,” Marie says. “I would love to have author signings.”
Marie, who worked as an ER nurse in Berlin, resigned in January 2025 to devote herself full-time to the bookstore.
Knuth Book Cellar is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
On the web: The Knuth Book Cellar website, knuthbookcellar.com, also offers an online catalog of 100,000 of the most popular titles.
