The Secret Lantern Books & Games
151 South Bell Blvd — Cedar Park
thesecretlantern.com ✽ @thesecretlanternsocial
Year Opened — October 2025
Employees — 6
“Cozy. Inclusive. Adventurous.”
What’s the story of your bookstore’s origin?
We officially opened our doors in October 2025 but we started as a pop up outside of the building as it was getting built. Even so, The Secret Lantern was years in the making. After spending nearly two decades in the gaming industry, working on everything from partnerships to major IP activations, my husband Dan and I realized how deeply we craved a space that wasn’t about algorithms or bottom lines, but about people, storytelling, and joy.
We knew we didn’t just want to open a bookstore we wanted to build a third space where misfits, creatives, families, and curious minds could gather. A place that felt warm, inclusive, and just a little bit magical.
We found an old bank building in Cedar Park and turned it into something new: a cozy indie bookstore-meets-game-shop with a vault transformed into a board game room, shelves filled with diverse stories and smutty fantasy picks, and a growing calendar of events: book clubs, game nights, author visits, and craft nights. We opened The Secret Lantern because we believe stories and play bring people together.
This place is our lantern in the dark-- and we hope it can be one for others, too.
What makes your bookstore special?
The Secret Lantern is an Afro-Latina woman-owned, indie bookstore and game shop with a beating heart for community. We blend storytelling and play, offering not just books and board games, but workshops, one-shot TTRPG nights, local maker goods, and a place to feel safe and seen.
We center diverse voices, highlight joy, and moments of magic-- from hobby nights, to cosplay workshops and Improv theater, we encourage people to try new experiences in a positive environment.
That's why the core of the The Secret Lantern is: "Where misfits make their magic and find their next adventure".
