Kramerbooks expanded into the 800-square-foot space next door. (Photo via Facebook)

In a new era for a Dupont Circle institution, Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe has expanded into the space next door.

Part restaurant, part bookstore, the iconic establishment on Connecticut Avenue recently changed hands from the shop’s co-founders to new owner and &pizza co-founder Steve Salis, The Washington Post reported earlier this month. Salis almost immediately set about pursing an expansion of the literary half of the business, which is among the indie bookstores that managed to outlast all of the city’s chain booksellers.

With the shuttering of the nearby Books a Million and the city’s various Barnes & Noble and Borders outlets, Kramerbooks has thrived. Meanwhile, as Dupont’s restaurants suffer from competition in newly trendy neighborhoods, Afterwards Cafe has pulled in a smaller share of the business’s revenues. From the Post:

In the early days, the cafe out-earned the bookstore. The establishment stayed open round-the-clock from Thursday to Sunday, and attracted late-night locals and after-hours workers who stopped there to drink and eat.

But the balance has shifted over the years, with the bookstore bringing in more of the company’s revenue … Last year, the combined business raked in upward of $10 million in sales, almost evenly split between the restaurant and the bookstore.

Now Kramerbooks is settling into the 800 square-foot space next door, which was previously occupied by Willie T’s Lobster Shack, and inviting readers in. Renovations will continue for the next year and a half to add event space, more nonfiction shelves, and a new coffee bar.