10/26/2026
We have a lot of new followers, and since it's our 2nd year Anniversary on Saturday, it's a great time to recap the shop's history!
To start things off, we have to go back to about 2013, when our Owner and HBIC, Krista (that's ME!), volunteered at Paris's little used bookstore "Books and More", then owned by a lovely older woman. It was a tiny little place, located in the shopping center on Mineral Wells, across from what used to be Save-A-Lot and next to the Laundry Mat. The tasks were simple- cleaning off books that came in, helping shelve things, tidying up- normal retail stuff, just on a lot smaller scale.
At one point in this part of the journey, Krista was tasked with minding the shop for about two weeks so that the owner could go help with a family emergency out of state. That two weeks turned into two months and was one of the most delightful experiences of her life- she loved getting to run things, chatting with customers (a lot of which we still recognize when they come in!!), and learning some things behind the scenes.
Unfortunately, after the owner returned, Krista was never called to volunteer again- we're still not certain why, but that's neither here nor there and not particularly important to the story. Another job came up that worked out very well for the next couple years and life went on.
Then we come to December of 2018. The Books and More had, in that time, acquired a new owner, moved, and to our discovery that month, was due to be closing at the end of December if it didn't sell to a new owner. Well~ Krista just wasn't about to let that happen! After a chat with the owner, some plotting, some planning, and a phone call to some exceedingly wonderful grandparents, she made it happen, and the day after Christmas, December 26th, 2018, Krista became the new owner of Books and More!
The next year was rife with some absolutely terrible decisions, but also some really good ones. We experienced a lot, learned even more, and by December of 2019, had to look for a new location in a hurry. We found it in a small room located inside a little crafting shop on East Wood Street for about four months, after which the both of us found a larger building that would suit our collective needs.
We took the leap with another loan and the determination to make things work, bought a building, remodeled during the Covid Lockdown, and reopened in September of 2020.
The following 3 years were, again, full of lessons. We made mistakes, slipped up, failed to pay attention. We couldn't do some things we wanted. We didn't say "no" often enough. Things happened, lessons were learned (sometimes the hard way) and ultimately, we had to close our doors on that location in the summer of 2023 and went back to work elsewhere.
Then, summer of 2024, we found a place. A tiny little 600sqft building, right next to one of our newer business friends. It wasn't perfect, but it was a chance, and we took it. Remodeling started in July of 2024 (and business bestie moved her s**t across the square the same month, the AUDACITY). We opened October 31st of 2024, on our favorite Holiday, and under a new name that was all *ours*. It was a fresh start- a new chapter, if you will- and with it came a place that was entirely ours. Our own reputation to build, our own brand to cultivate, or own policies, and expectations, and decisions.
After almost two years in that location, a better one came up, and on August 30th, 2026, with the help of 10 friends and a merry-go-round of vehicles rotating between loading and dropping off, we got everything moved in THREE HOURS. It took a week to get everything set back up properly, but we did it, because Krista is stubborn as hell, and closing hurts small business a LOT more than being open and somewhat messy does.
Now, the week of our Anniversary, we're sitting comfy in our new spot. It's not perfect yet. There's still a lot we want to do here, things we'd like to change, shelves to build, and more, but there's room, and there's time, and after almost 8 years chasing this mad dream of ours, it's fulfilling to see how far we've come.
We've still failed a few times. We're still learning and expect that we always will be. There's a lot we'd like to do still that we can't do just yet. But we're going to keep going, and keep planning, and keep doing, until the universe decrees that it's time to stop. Hopefully, that day never comes.
To all of you, we say Thank You. Thank you for visiting, even if you don't get anything. That you for following, for liking, for commenting, for sharing. We see you, and we love you, and we can't wait to KEEP loving you, as much as you all love us. 🥰
