Local bookstore goes mobile
All photos courtesy of Miranda Atkins.
A Little Bookish was once Ooltewah, Tennessee’s only bookstore and was the small town’s best-kept secret. Then, owners Miranda and Chris Atkins decided to transition to a mobile business, making them the only mobile bookstore in Bradley and Hamilton counties.
Soon after they announced their transition on Facebook, the owner of Cleveland Coffee and Market and Terra Running Company reached out to them.
The bookmobile made its debut in Cleveland, parked outside of the Cleveland Coffee and Market and Terra Running Company on Jan. 27.
They made the parking spots in front of the coffee shop their home for three days, two blocks away from the Communication Arts building.
When a customer walks into the bookmobile, they are greeted with French doors, hardwood flooring and crystal light fixtures.
Either side of the truck is lined with bookshelves containing books from various genres for all ages and interests, as well as puzzles, toys and knickknacks.
“I think it’s a super cute idea. I like it a lot,” said Emma Bowen, senior education student. “I was super impressed with the interior.”
With so much local attention, Atkins is looking forward to what the future holds for A Little Bookish.
“Since being out here, we’ve been approached by other businesses that want to do the same thing,” said Atkins. “We’ve gotten messages from people that want us to come out to their subdivisions, So we’re already booking up pretty fast.”
The original store had its grand opening in November 2018 in a small shopping plaza in Ooltewah, Tennessee.
“It really was very well received by the community, very loved,” said Atkins.
A Little Bookish immediately began hosting numerous book clubs for kids and adults that brought foot traffic into the shop and created a loyal customer base.
In March 2020, when the first wave of COVID-19 struck Tennessee, Atkins was forced to shut down the store.
“I just watched one by one everything shut down. Disneyland and Universal Studios and everything was shut down, and I was like ‘okay, I have to.' If it’s that serious, I can’t risk it,’” said Atkins concerning the shutdowns.
Since March, there has not been a story time, teen night or youth book club. Three of the adult book clubs began meeting via Zoom.
“I thought it was just going to be a couple of months because everyone was saying, ‘flatten the curve and we’ll get back to normal,’” said Atkins.
While the store was closed down, Atkins loyal customers continued ordering books from her online.
“I do have very loyal customers still that will intentionally order,” said Atkins. “Because they want me to be here when this is over.”
While personal deliveries were not cost-effective, Atkins discovered that she loved the concept of delivering books. With this in mind, she returned to the drawing board to find a cost-effective and flexible business model for COVID-19 and beyond.
“I thought, ‘okay, people loved it when we were delivering books, so what if we got rid of the store and just went mobile?’” said Atkins. “We got the idea to go mobile, and it just really started hitting us that this was gonna fix a lot of the issues that we’ve been having with our location.”
With a newfound passion for mobile books, the Atkinses made a leap of faith and purchased what is now their bookmobile.
“I think it’s gonna be a very successful venture. It’s so much more visible than our store that was in one spot and a hidden spot at that,” said Atkins. “We’re very happy with it. We’re very excited thinking that this is kind of what we should have done from the beginning.”
The bookmobile will be featured in new locations around Bradley and Hamilton counties each week. Locations can be found on the store’s Facebook and Instagram.
To follow the journey of A Little Bookish and to view their catalog, click here.
