10/01/2026
One year ago today, I opened the doors with a dream, a lot of ideas, and absolutely no clue just how much this first year would hold.
Being new to town and starting a business came with plenty of chaos, detours, learning curves, and days when I questioned everything. There were months of construction outside our door, weeks when sales were painfully slow, plans that changed, and moments when simply keeping the doors open felt like a win.
But there were also book clubs filled with laughter, new friendships, wonderful events, stacks of romance books finding their readers, and customers who continued to show up - even when getting here required navigating torn-up streets and construction signs.
Over the past year, I’ve watched this little store grow into the romance bookstore and cozy gathering place I dreamed it could be. It hasn’t happened perfectly or easily, but it has happened because so many of you believed in me and what I was building.
Thank you for every purchase, drink, event ticket, shared post, encouraging message, and visit. You helped carry me through the difficult days and made the good ones even sweeter.
This first year was messy, exhausting, exciting, scary, and incredibly special. I wouldn’t trade the lessons, the people, or the memories for anything.
Happy first anniversary to The Velvet Nook. One chapter down, and I can’t wait to see what we write next. ❤️
