Unearth The Voyage
Cupboard Maker Books is not just a used bookstore. This Enola shop holds more than 125,000 books, a rotating crew of resident cats, and a rescue program that has helped hundreds of felines find homes.
The draw goes beyond the shelves. Visitors come for the huge selection, the cat-friendly atmosphere, and the kind of local character that is hard to manufacture.
Some have even traveled from other countries just to browse.
With 6,500 square feet of books and plenty of surprises between the aisles, it has become one of Pennsylvania’s most memorable independent bookstores.
A Bookstore Born From a Single Shelf
It started with one shelf. Back in February 1998, Jason Haring and Michelle Mioff-Haring opened a custom-built furniture and gift store in Enola, Pennsylvania, and tucked a modest selection of books into a single corner of the shop.
Nobody could have predicted that this small detail would eventually become the entire story. By 2002, the books had completely taken over, and the store officially became Cupboard Maker Books.
A year later, in 2003, the business moved to its current home at 157 N Enola Rd, Enola, PA 17025.
That address is now a well-known destination for book lovers across the country and beyond. The building itself announces its identity before you even reach the door, thanks to a bold, colorful mural of painted book spines covering the exterior walls.
From a single shelf of books inside a furniture shop to a 6,500-square-foot literary landmark, the journey of this store is proof that the right idea, given enough time, can fill every room.
The Cats That Changed Everything
The cats arrived in 2011, and nothing at Cupboard Maker Books has been quite the same since. What began as a thoughtful addition to the store’s character quickly became its most talked-about feature, drawing visitors who might never have otherwise considered stopping in Enola, Pennsylvania.
Today, resident cats Annika, Mouse, and Odin roam freely through the stacks, occasionally settling onto a shelf between two paperbacks or padding softly down an aisle as if conducting their own personal inventory check.
The store takes their comfort and safety seriously. A double-door vestibule entrance keeps curious felines from slipping outside, and cat beds and catwalks above the bookshelves give them plenty of places to stretch out and survey their kingdom.
Visitors frequently mention the cats as the highlight of their trip, and the store’s social media following has grown significantly because of them. Annika, Mouse, and Odin have essentially become the store’s unofficial ambassadors, and they are very good at the job.
Annika the Reluctant Bookstore Cat
Queen Annika is fifteen years old, a Himalayan with an air of dignified authority that makes every customer feel slightly honored when she acknowledges their presence. She is not just a mascot; she is a published author.
Her book, “The Very, Very Bad Misadventures of Annika the Reluctant Bookstore Cat,” sits on the shelves at Cupboard Maker Books and captures the spirit of a cat who tolerates human enthusiasm with elegant restraint. Beyond the bookstore, Annika is known as an adventure cat who visits central Pennsylvania hotspots tucked into her backpack, a detail that has earned her a dedicated following on social media.
She is not the first cat here to have a literary career. The beloved Squeekie, a past resident, inspired three published books about his own adventures before Annika claimed the spotlight.
There is something genuinely charming about a bookstore where the cats do not just live among the books but actually appear inside them, giving readers a reason to take a little piece of the store home.
125,000 Books and Counting
The sheer volume of books at Cupboard Maker Books is the kind of thing that stops a person mid-step. Over 125,000 used titles fill the shelves, organized by genre so that browsing feels manageable rather than overwhelming.
Mystery, romance, science fiction, children’s books, history, art, and religion all have their own dedicated sections. The store also carries more than 5,000 new titles, including works by local Pennsylvania authors, which gives the collection a genuinely regional flavor alongside its broader appeal.
Prices for used books tend to run in the range of eight to ten dollars, which some shoppers find on the higher side for pre-owned titles. However, the store periodically holds storewide sales that bring prices down considerably, and many visitors report walking out with three books for around fourteen dollars on a good day.
The staff knows the inventory well and can point you toward a specific title quickly, which matters a great deal when you are standing in front of shelves that stretch higher than a comfortable neck tilt allows.
Fostering More Than Just a Love of Reading
The resident cats get most of the attention, but the foster program running quietly behind the scenes may be the most meaningful thing happening at Cupboard Maker Books. The store partners with Loving Care Cat Rescue to house foster cats and kittens, giving them a safe, warm, and stimulating environment while they wait for permanent homes.
More than 300 cats have found forever families through this program since it began, a number that reflects years of consistent effort by the owners and staff. Throughout the store, framed photos of past fosters line the walls, creating a visual record of every cat that passed through and found their place in the world.
It is one of those details that turns a shopping trip into something that feels a little more significant. You might come in looking for a mystery novel and leave having learned about a kitten currently available for adoption.
The bookstore does not just sell stories; in a very practical sense, it helps write new ones for animals that need a second chance.
The Mural That Stops Traffic
Before you ever open the front door, the building itself gives you something to talk about. The exterior of Cupboard Maker Books is covered in a large, vibrant mural depicting the spines of books, each one rendered in bright color and detail that makes the whole structure look like a shelf from the outside.
It is the kind of thing that makes people slow down while driving past and reach for their phone to take a photo. Visitors frequently mention the mural as an unexpected bonus, a photo opportunity that sets the tone for the experience waiting inside.
The mural is not just decorative. It signals clearly what this place is about before you have taken a single step through the entrance.
For a bookstore that has built its reputation partly through word of mouth and social media, having a visually striking exterior is a practical advantage.
The artwork changes over time as new designs appear on the shelves depicted outside, keeping the building fresh and giving regular visitors another reason to look twice each time they arrive.
What the Hours and Layout Actually Look Like
Planning a visit is straightforward once you know the schedule. Cupboard Maker Books is open Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 8 PM, Saturday from 10 AM to 8 PM, and Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM.
The extended weekday hours make it easy to stop in after work or school.
The store sits at 157 N Enola Rd in Enola, PA 17025, and there is plenty of parking on site, which is a detail that matters more than people expect when you are planning to stay for a while. You can reach the store by phone at 717-732-7288 or visit cupboardmaker.com for updates on events and sales.
Inside, the layout is organized but expansive. Tall shelves require some neck craning in certain sections, and lighting can be uneven near the antiques area, though the rest of the store is well lit.
The double-door vestibule at the entrance is worth noting: it exists specifically to keep the cats safely inside, so move through it thoughtfully and the feline residents will appreciate the courtesy.
A Community Hub With Book Clubs and Signed Shelves
Cupboard Maker Books functions as more than a retail space; it operates as a genuine gathering point for the local community in Enola and the surrounding central Pennsylvania area. The store hosts regular book clubs and events that bring readers together in person, which is increasingly rare and valuable.
One of the more personal touches is the invitation for customers to sign the shelves. It sounds like a small thing, but walking through the store and spotting signatures from previous visitors creates a sense of shared history that most bookstores simply do not offer.
The owners, Jason and Michelle, are frequently present and actively engaged with customers. Jason has been known to personally give tours of the store and share the history behind both the bookstore and the cats, which turns a casual shopping trip into something closer to a genuine conversation.
This kind of personal investment from ownership is exactly what separates an independent bookstore from a transaction. The community built around Cupboard Maker Books did not happen by accident; it was cultivated deliberately and continues to grow.
Visitors From Around the World, Not Just Around the Block
Most local businesses are happy when customers drive twenty minutes to visit. Cupboard Maker Books draws people from Europe, South America, and Canada, which is a remarkable thing for a used bookstore on a road in Enola, Pennsylvania.
The cats are the primary draw for many of these long-distance visitors. Social media has amplified the store’s reach considerably, with TikTok videos and Instagram posts introducing Annika, Mouse, and Odin to audiences who then add the bookstore to their travel itineraries.
The result is a visitor mix that includes both regulars from the local area and first-timers who have traveled across multiple time zones to spend an afternoon browsing the stacks and hopefully convincing a cat to sit near them for a photo.
With a 4.8-star rating across more than 1,000 Google reviews, the reputation is clearly holding up under the weight of all that attention. The store has earned its fanbase one satisfied visitor at a time, and the fanbase keeps sending new people through the door.
Merch, Memories, and a Reason to Come Back
A good bookstore visit ends with a bag full of books. A great one ends with books, a tote, and a button featuring the face of a cat you met forty minutes ago and have already decided to follow on social media.
Cupboard Maker Books sells merchandise including tote bags and buttons themed around the store and its resident cats, giving visitors a tangible way to carry a little piece of the experience home. For fans who have traveled a long distance, these items double as souvenirs that actually mean something.
The store also keeps a record of its foster cats through photos displayed throughout the building, so browsing the shelves occasionally means pausing to look at the face of a kitten who found a home years ago. It adds warmth to the whole space in a way that no amount of interior decorating could replicate.
Whether you leave with one book or a whole stack, the feeling of having spent time somewhere that genuinely cares about books, cats, and community tends to stick around long after the receipt fades.
