“I just really loved the idea of having a bookstore back in the mall,” Adams said.
The store opened just a few weeks ago, and Adams hopes her business will help fill a gap that was created when chain bookstores Waldenbooks and B. Dalton closed their locations in the mall in 2010. Since those closed, there are only a few used bookstores left in Clark County, she said.
Along with her fiancee, David Clancey, Adams is also the co-owner of the Village Coffee Cafe, a kiosk at the mall that opened last fall. Eventually, Adams wants to start programs like a local book club, with coffee catered from her other business.
Family members chipped in to help get the business started, and she received some donations from an online crowdfunding site. Friends also donated hundreds of books, and the business is always accepting more, she said.
“It’s not just me here,” Adams said. “It’s a real community effort.”
Adams grew up reading mostly science fiction and fantasy stories, and said she’s particularly proud of that section. But the store also offers sections on religion, military history, women’s studies and a children’s section that includes a few toys and a place for children to sit and read.
She still has fond memories of the mall as a teenager and knew it was where she wanted to locate her business.
“This place was awesome in its day, and I think we can get back to that,” Adams said of the mall. “It just needs the right people and the right idea.”
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