Today we’d like to introduce you to AJ Bell.
Hi AJ, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We’re a Fiction Only Dark Academia Inspired bookstore near the heart of Fate Tx.
Years ago, my kids and I took on a business that didn’t work for us, and with me being laid off after dedicating 16 years to the same company, we were in danger of having to close our doors and lose all we had worked for.
We came up with a plan, spoke to the city about what we wanted to do, and took a dive head first into an ocean of uncertainty. We decided to use the profits for October 2024, a whole $350.00, and buy paint to give the inside of the building a new look, the color cracked pepper. We took our white walls with our pretty colorful mural, and turned our way-to-bright building into a darkness sanctuary for the weirdos, the nerds, the tired moms, the quiet dads, etc.
We created new social media accounts, and started gathering picture frames, mirrors and anything else that we could use to decorate our walls. We picked them up from garage sales or “for free” social media pages, sanded them and painted them. And then voluntold my boyfriend to hang every single piece when he was in town. There is over 200 of them!
We reached out to a local roaster and he crafted the perfect coffee blend for our store, and we haven’t looked back. The kids and I talked about what the future held for us, a lot of late hours, free labor, no eating out, or family vacations, and eating mostly beans, rice & ramen noodles for meals until we are fully built.
As a Latina single mom, having the support of my kids has meant the world to me as there is always that internal guilt of not spending enough time with them while spending a lot of time trying to make this dream into a reality.
We are in the process of changing our sign outside, so we currently tell people we are in our “soft opening era” and hope to gather the funds we need to change the sign outside and finaly have our ribbon cutting!
We also partner with several small businesses to showcase their products, we want their art to be seen, we want to suceed and bring them along with us.
Opening a bookstore has been a dream long overdue, I am an independent author, and have loved books since I was a child, it only made sense to bring what I love into our small business.
However, as proud as we are and as much as we have accomplished without loans, or financial support from investors, only whatever cash flow that comes from daily sales, nothing compares to hearing our clients come in and say they feel at home as soon as they enter. They feel seen, they feel welcome.
Because at the end of the day what we are trying to accomplish is provide a safe space for everyone, a place where you enter and feel like you belong. A place where you can be your own person, and who you are is enough. A place where every sip tells a story.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not at all. The book community has been a great support, but our location, being outside the downtown area, kind of prevents us from being seen. There are days when the sales are almost none, and I feel the urge to go out and find a job again and leave it all behind. There are times when the sales are great, and there’s hope. But then the impostor syndrome hits hard. We currently host events almost every night of the week, and by the weekend we’re sort of burn out, the horrors persist but so do we!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We provide a place for clients to relax, to sit down and work, read a book, or meet with like-minded individuals who are looking for a safe place to be themselves. We are strongly involved in the community, and partner with charities often and organize events that breach the gap between businesses and the people of the town.
What’s next?
I look forward to grow out of this building and having to move to a larger one where we can have more books, and more sitting, and even a full bar, maybe a large private lounge area where our clients can seat and read without being surrounded by other customers. Also grow the brand enough to take it to other cities! Everyone deserves to enjoy a little corner of darkness.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.leatherandbound.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leathernbound_bookbar
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/17TeQZQbKd/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Image Credits
AJ Bell
