Birth of a Bookshop

I love books. I love reading. I love sharing the books I love reading with others. I love the look on a child’s face when they fall in love with a beautiful book cover and when they pick that book up and fall in love with the words within. Having been born the youngest of three children to a single mother on welfare and growing up in poverty, I didn’t always see the value of books. I thought that working was the most important thing I could do to improve my situation. It wasn’t until my early twenties, and I had a child of my own, that I discovered the power books held between their pages. I have been obsessed with harnessing that power ever since. Though those years of poverty still linger in my occasional lack of traditional knowledge and self-confidence, reading has been a powerful tool in helping me toward reaching my full potential. I want to share that tool with others, especially children, who may not understand or have access to the wealth reading offers like me in my youth.

Opening a children’s bookshop has been my dream for the last fifteen years. That dream has finally come to fruition through the confluence of privilege and luck. Though these things have played a considerable role, I’m determined to earn every ounce of this opportunity. In my capacity as a bookshop owner, my goal is to connect readers with books they can see themselves in, all of their beauty and potential, and books that can help them see others too and the diversity of the world around them. In this privileged and influential role, I want to help lift the voices of people from all walks of life. I have so many hopes and dreams for this endeavor, some of which I know may never materialize, but that will not stop me from trying to make those hopes and dreams into reality.

Thank you to all of the people who have loved and supported me in this life-long journey, my wonderful family and friends, without whom I would not be the successful woman I am today. And thank you to all of my writing and illustrating friends. There is no community quite like the kidlit (children’s literature) community, which is full of amazing people who are always there to lift you up and cheer you on.

I look forward to sharing this journey with you all.
Carissa