We were lucky to catch up with Sharon Davis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sharon , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

Owning a bookstore has been a dream of mine for many years. I am a retired English teacher, so I think most of us have had this dream. When my daughters were growing up, we fantasized about the store arrangement, the cafe we wanted to include, and the number of books we would have. We even had a storefront picked out in the small town where we lived.

Years pass, life happens, my children grew up and had children of their own. Once I retired from teaching, I went in to real estate because at that time the town where I lived already had a bookstore. When I relocated to the other side of the state to be close to my daughter and her children, I noticed there was no bookstore in close proximity, and the the spark of hope that I may actually be able to make my dream come to fruition, ignited.

My planning began with a great deal of research about the book industry. With the help of information from ABA (American Booksellers Association) and SIBA. ( Southern Independent Booksellers Association,) I began working on a business plan. When it came time to pick a location, I knew right where I wanted to be. I wanted to be right on the town square in our quaint little town. So, I secured a spot . Unfortunately, COVID halted the process, and I had to give up my perfect spot. Another year went by, and I did more research, paid off bills and I began acquiring funding . I found another location, not as good as the first, but it was sufficient. Once I received the key to my storefront, I started by with a call to Franklin Furniture in Tennessee who outfits a large number of indie bookstores with shelving and displays. While on the phone with the designer who was showing me my space on the screen, the dream started shaping up. After that, I set up an account with Ingram, the major book distributor in the country and began the process of ordering my first shipment of books. In six weeks, I had everything set up and ready for opening day.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As an educator, I have always had a love of literature and learning. Reading is a gateway to new worlds, real or imagined, new ideas, and new perspectives. I strongly believe that reading builds compassion and enhances lives. So, it is because of this belief that I knew my store had to offer books of all genres for all people. I carry books for young readers including books that children can see themselves in whether they be black,white, Hispanic, or Native American. I have books with handicap representation and LGBTQ representation. In the adult section, I carry books with the same representations and from both sides of the political spectrum. I want my store to be a safe place to be a safe space to express and share ideas.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The journey from retired teacher turned real estate agent turned bookseller was long and came with many potholes along the way. However, I truly believe that if you want something bad enough, you must stay focused, and be willing to get back up every time you’re knocked down. Two years before I retired from teaching, my husband of only 4 years passed away after a 9 month illness. During his illness, he made me promise to do all the things in my life that were important, and to never give up on my dreams. It was this promise that I made, that kept me going through the struggles that followed his death. At the time of opening up the store, I had a partner who was adamant that I not open the store. There were arguments, ultimatums, tears, and eventually a protective order. Even though his remarks and badgering continued after opening, I stayed true to my dream. Once I finally decided to get out of this toxic situation, I was able to move and expand my store which is now not only larger, but also in a much better, prime location.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Growing clientele for a small indie bookstore can be challenging, however, since it’s such an important part of the community, it is imperative that I invest the time, money and effort in events. Having events expands my customer base wider and gets the business name out there more and more. Welcoming authors and having signing events not only benefits the store, but also the author. Offering children’s events, gets parents and children into the store and offers us an opportunity to build rapport with the members of our community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bookboundbooks.com/
• Instagram: bookboundbooks
• Facebook: Book Bound Bookstore of GA
• Linkedin: Book Bound Bookstore
• Twitter: Book Bound