07/10/2026
25 years ago this month I put my first batch of books up for sale online. In July, 2001, I started Juniper Books with a total investment of $25. That summer I went to a thrift store in Los Angeles and bought 25 books for $1 each. I put them on eBay and sold about half of them for $226. Those boooks didn't look anything like the books we offer today but it was a starting point. Back then, selling books was really just a hobby; I loved books, I loved research and writing, and I loved spending time at estate sales, antique auctions, and in bookstores.
Our first custom library curation shipped in 2005. My first prototype of a custom book jacket rolled off the printer in 2008. Our first book set products (including sets of Jane Austen, Ernest Hemingway, Harry Potter, and a cookbook collection) went online in 2011. I could list out dozens of other innovations and twists and turns that got us where we are today, but suffice it to say, one constant at Juniper Books has always change and our embrace of creative reinvention. We have evolved and thrived because lots of people love books and when they ask for things that don't exist in the world of books, we make them possible!
As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, it's fun to look back on where we started and where we are now. Thank you to all of the customers, authors, publishers, vendors, partners, and friends and family who have made Juniper Books and Juniper Custom possible all these years. We really appreciate your love of books and that you found us! We have all sorts of fun things planned for you over the coming year to keep the bookish party going! Stay tuned.
- Thatcher
Founder & CEO, Juniper Books + Juniper Custom
