Small Business Spotlight: Bookish On Main
A visit to Bookish On Main is a little like stepping inside a candy shop for booklovers. With its soft colors, warm lighting and tall shelves packed with books and bookish things, the store gives visitors a soft nudge to stay awhile and browse.
Owner Brianna Exline admits the space is small but says they have worked to build a selection that appeals to most tastes including a variety of general fiction, thrillers, fantasy, romance, and children’s books alongside some nonfiction, daily devotionals and Bibles. There are also plenty of bestsellers and new releases on the shelves to keep local readers on the cutting edge. “We have something for almost everyone and are always looking for ways to grow,” she said.
The Jackson native is a former third grade teacher turned school librarian at Jackson Middle School. “I have always been a reader. In fact, my favorite picture of myself when I was little is of me in a little rocking chair with a Little Mermaid book.”
After a lifetime of reading and the influence of great librarians and teachers, including her own mother, Brianna’s relationship with reading has ebbed and flowed. Like many people, her love of reading took a back seat as life became busy with college, jobs, and a young family. It has only been in recent years that she’s been able to dive back into her reading habit. In other words, she understands how important it is to have access to a good book when you’re ready for it.
The business actually began a few years ago when she embraced the popular Blind Date With A Book concept and began selling her blind date books at local events. When customers began asking for a bookstore, she started with space at Ellie Mills Mercantile in Jackson. It quickly became clear that there was an appetite for an independent bookstore in the community.
So she partnered with her mom Tina Layton and the pair now have their own storefront in downtown, have added an employee and are constantly on the lookout for ways to bring more people into the store. In fact, their shopfront is also home to Tina’s companion business Three Littles and a Cat. Three Littles is a children’s boutique with a variety of affordable and unique toys and clothes for infants through kids up to 14/16.
Plus, as an authorized Lego dealer, they offer different Lego options than might be found in the big box stores. In fact, Three Littles specializes in brands and items that will set your youngsters apart. Wooden toys, activity books and coloring books that encourage imaginative play and thinking are available as well.
They offer a good selection of new and gently pre-loved books alongside bookish items and mystery bags for any book lovers. Listen to audiobooks? Bookish can help you with that as well. They work with a platform called Libro FM which is similar to Audible but gives back to independent bookstores. They also offer gift cards for those bookish loved ones in your life!
Plus, they host regular events including local author talks and Sunday events with food trucks, vendor partners, and fun extras. For example, they had a Gilmore Girls event last fall, hosted Santa in December, and have participated in Downtown Association events like their most recent Sip and Shop.
They also host book clubs including a BYOB club where participants each come prepared to talk about a book that interests them and learn about new-to-them books from their peers. Brianna says they are actively seeking ways to develop community partnerships. For example, they recently partnered with the Markay Cultural Arts Center for a Frozen Jr. event and with Faith and Fitness for a faith-based book club.
“We want to give people more things to do, get them reading, and get them in the store for their next good book,” she said.
The community has been supportive of the store and Brianna said they are now starting to see people from far off places. “A lot of readers look for bookstores in their travels so we’ve been meeting people from all over. It has been sort of fun keeping track of how many states we’ve met people from.”
While the focus has been on building a physical presence, Brianna said they are shifting gears to build a virtual presence with online ordering as well. They will launch their new website the evening of January 30 and have big plans for how that will grow with them as well.
Bookish on Main With Three Littles And A Cat is located at 384 East Main St. Suite F in downtown Jackson. Be sure to pick up their A-Z Book Challenge and enroll in their loyalty program. Follow them on Facebook to find their hours, events and news as the business grows!