The store is located in red brick buildings dating to before the Civil War. 631 South Third Street once housed Maurer's Saloon and a nickelodeon movie theater called the Lily Cinema. Living quarters were located on the second floor of what was known as the Substantial Building, which would go on to serve as a church, a decorating company, an art studio and school, and an indoor golf course. In 1968 Marnie Southard opened a flower shop in one room of the building; later buying the entire building, she opened a larger art and antiques store and divided the rest of the building into six small shops. She also bought the adjacent building at 632 City Park, which had opened as Wolf Tavern in the nineteenth century and through the years had served as a series of small groceries. Southard created a block-long retail mall, building a new store connecting the two buildings, which was the original space of the Book Loft and now serves as its main entrance.
