Stories Behind the Shop: The birth of Kokomo's Coziest Bookstore

In March of 2024, my family went to Punta Gorda, Florida, for spring break. While visiting, we went to this adorable New/Used bookstore called "Copperfish Books."

This place was adorable, but they had signs posted saying the business was for sale. Sad face. I jokingly sent my husband a picture and said, "We should live my dream and buy a bookstore!"

A thing you should know about my husband, Chris, is that he is 100% supportive and 10,000% impulsive! So, of course, he was like "let's do it!" He even called and emailed the owner to get more information. He was completely ready to park a for-sale sign in front of our house and move across the country. The very practical part of me kept thinking that this would never work! How could we uproot the kids and leave all of our friends and family to buy a business??

I was four when Disney's Beauty and the Beast was released. It immediately became my favorite movie of all time, and I watched the VHS so many times that I had to get a new one when it stopped playing. Here was a princess who looked like me (she has brown hair), who was a little odd like me (according to the town's folk), and who loved books just like me! I was smitten!

Fast forward a few years, and my mom signed me up for the Berenstain Bears' Cub Club! I started getting books in the mail, and that was basically the best thing in the world! I loved to play "shop" and sell books and other items to my mom, and I proudly displayed each of my Berenstain Bears books for everyone to see.

As I grew older, my love grew and changed. I volunteered in the school library, where I helped shelve books, checked them in and out, repaired minor items, and assisted with inventory! Then, after graduation, I wanted to work at the library (because duh!). An opening came up at the main library branch, and I applied! I got a call saying they wanted me to come in for an interview. I showed up, and there were about 100 other people there to interview for the one single position. I was so bummed.

Spoiler alert: I did not get the job.

However, I still dreamed about owning a little shop (with the book ladder, just like in Beauty and the Beast) where books could surround me. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

But life happened. I lost sight of my dream and soon became more concerned with surviving. As every ashes to phoenix story goes, I got tangled up with a man who, while he gave me my beautiful children, he also gave me a heaping pile of trauma and abuse. The idea of being a business owner was so far from my line of sight that, if you had asked me then, I would have said, "Nope, it will never happen!"

The clock kept ticking, and life continued, and my now-husband and I married; he adopted my kids, and our lives changed. Suddenly, I could dream again!

When we returned from Florida, I couldn't let go of the idea of opening a bookstore. I started researching "how to start a business" and "how to open a bookstore." I announced to my friends and family that I was doing it. I was going to open a bookstore! I started online, selling used books that people were bringing me by the boxful. Turns out, people don't want to throw their old books away, and donating to GOOD retail stores that were WILLing to take them was not what most people wanted to do with them. From my dining room, I spent hours trying to figure out how to get these books into the hands of people who wanted them.

By August 2024, I was looking for a small storefront. Every place I tried to rent retail space, I was told that, because I was a startup, they would not rent to me. I became so frustrated. How do businesses get started if no one will even talk to you because you are a "startup" business?

In frustration, I posted on Facebook asking about locations for rent for new businesses. I received a ton of responses, but one stood out. It was downtown, without being too close to the other used bookstore in town. It was a nice little place that would be perfect for a cozy shop.

Meetings, phone calls, SBA loan applications, and hours spent refining my business plan ensued. In January 2025, I signed a two-year lease on 107 W. Mulberry. I was so scared, but I got to work! I set a goal to be open by March 7th, and began spending all of my time in the shop, cleaning and categorizing books. I bought shelves, continued bolstering my online presence, started networking, and on March 7th, 2025, I opened the doors for the official "soft" opening.

A hair short of a year after the vacation that fueled the sparks of my childhood dream, I opened the doors of my very own brick-and-mortar bookstore.

If I thought the journey had been hard up to this point, I was sadly mistaken. So began sleepless nights, more worry than one person should feel, and complete panic attacks! What if the shop fails? What if I can't cover the costs? What if...? What if...? What if...?

We continued plugging away and, after several rescheduled plans, we celebrated our Grand Opening on July 10th, 2025. We have been able to cover our expenses most months, and I can't help but see God in every part of this journey. In every moment of fear and doubt, God was there encouraging me to keep going. It has been an interesting journey, and I hope you will continue with me as I share the story of Kokomo's Coziest Bookstore!