We do Things a Little Differently Here

Original post made 1/25/24

In 2019, I decided to chase after my dream of owning a bookstore. Honestly, I had no idea what I was getting into but I have no regrets. Over the years, we've grown and made changes, always striving to be not just a store we'd love to shop in, but a store that we're proud of and while I've always thinking up ways we can do something better, I am proud of the store that we've built. I especially love the things we do that aren't always done in bookstores or online bookstores. Of course, some of these things are becoming more common but I can't help to be proud of them, too!

Sure, some of these practices mean more work for me but I think it's totally worth it!

1. We take our own photos for all of our previously loved books, while making it a point to show any flaws that the book may have. This has always been important to use because we, too, know what it's like to be all excited about a book you've ordered only to be disappointed in the condition it arrives. The last thing we want is for that to happen! So we do our best to make sure you know what you're getting before you adopt!

2. We do the research for you when we process items for our website! We check to see if any book we process is part of a series when we process it. If it is, we make sure to pt a number with the book title so you know it's part of a series and where in the series it lands. But we don't stop there. We also provide the name of the series and the title series books in order so know what you're signing up for when you adopt. We try to go back and keep those lists updated. We've even started to provide links for the other books in the series to a help you find all of your new books easier!

3. We love to sneak post-it notes with something positive on them into random books while we process them so that whenever you decide to read that book, you'll be surprised with an extra smile, too!

4. When we get your newly adopted goodie ready to meet you, we write you a hand-written thank you card to include in with your stuff and we have a habit of tossing swag in there with it (like stickers, bookmarks, coloring sheets or something else depending on the season and or mood).

5. When books that are in too poor of a condition to be saved, we keep them! We, like so many, hate throwing away books so we keep books we can't put up for adoption and use them for art projects like making bookmarks of them. This way the books get a new life, we reduce waste and allows us to offer them to you at a low price point! Plus, we have a lot of fun making fun seasonal bookmarks!

6. We reuse shipping material when we can in order to reduce our waste and save money on shipping materials (which means we can pass the saving on to you)!

7. We love to review the books that we read (right here on this blog)! Even if we don't love it,we will still consider writing a review on it because we know that even though it wasn't for us, it might be for you!

8. When we upload books onto our website, we include links of other ways you can adopt and still support us, even if we don't have exactly what you're looking for. We offer a link to find the book in audio form (when available) and where to get a new copy if you'd rather adopt new then previously loved. Hey! No judgement here!

9. That reminds me, we don't judge. We don't care what you're reading or how you're reading it as long as you're reading! That's what's important. Well, that and enjoying it. We're here to share stories and a love for them, not judge!

10. We are an online only store, but we also provide pick up and delivery options to those in the area!

So there you go! There are ten things that we do that may look a little different then other bookstores, or we're just really proud of.

What do we do (from the list above or from your own experience) that you really love? Let us know in the comments.