Blurring boundaries between both work and personal life can spring forth a reinvention of how people gather and connect. Hodgepodge Books & Taps feels like a place Eugene didn’t know it needed. It’s the kind of space that feels more at home in Portland or Seattle, yet its owners, Sophie and Stuart Raymond, insist that Eugene is exactly where it belongs.
The idea behind Hodgepodge may seem simple on the surface, but its intentions run deeper. For co-owner Stuart Raymond, the decision to stay in Eugene after initially moving for school was less about ambition and more about relief. “We immediately felt a little unwound,” Stuart said. After years of living in Portland together, Eugene offered something different – less pressure, noise and more room to breathe. Within a month of moving, the Raymonds knew they wanted to stay.
That sense of ease is something the couple hopes visitors feel when they step inside Hodgepodge. The space doesn’t feel performative; it offers people a place to read, talk, sit quietly, or simply exist among others. This two-story house creates a luxury of community in an increasingly isolated world. “I always feel so much better when I’ve just kind of been around people. We really want to foster a space where people can just do that,” Stuart said.
Sophie, the store’s main book buyer, curates a collection of books to put on their shelves that balances familiarity and discovery. Current bestsellers and classics sit alongside niche, lesser-known authors. “There’s a lot of bookstores in Eugene. We had to find some way to be slightly different,” the Raymonds said.
The process of creating a place that feels effortless was anything but that. The building itself required a lot of remodeling to meet code for a mixed-use commercial space. According to Stuart, the city had never processed a business quite like theirs, and navigating that uncertainty stretched the opening process from early 2024 to spring 2025. The work was just as demanding mentally and emotionally for the Raymonds. There were moments where the vision felt fragile, especially during slow summer weeks when foot traffic decreased; “I remember thinking, ‘No one’s coming anymore — we’re done,” Stuart recalls during the week of the Oregon Country Fair. At the time, he didn’t yet know that seasonal slowness was a normal aspect of running a business. What kept the team going, he said, was trust in the idea, in the community and especially in timing.
This trust is continuing to be rewarded in small, meaningful ways. Regulars now greet one another by name. Conversations unfold naturally between strangers. Customers linger long after finishing their drinks, finding themselves enthralled in the atmosphere.
“Seeing people enjoy the space we made has honestly been one of my favorite parts. At the time, we had no idea if people would,” they said.
The space has also been shaped by change beyond the business itself, and more so, a personal aspect of both the owners’ lives. Sophie Raymond is currently pregnant and still working harder than ever before, both running the business while navigating through an incredible change in life pattern. She hosts events and manages the store while preparing for the arrival of their child. “It’s one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen. She’s incredible!” Stuart said.
The dual sense of creation, growing a business and preparing for a new chapter in life, mirrors Hodgepodge itself: slow, intentional, and deeply human. At its core, Hodgepodge isn’t just about what’s sold across the counter. It’s about what’s shared: stories, space, and the quiet reassurance that you don’t have to be alone to feel at ease. And in the heart of Eugene, that might be exactly what makes this all work.
