Treat your shelf

MOUNT AYR — Despite being an avid reader, Monica Walters of Mount Ayr never dreamed of opening a bookstore, yet on Saturday, That’s What She Read held its grand opening during the Road Trip Ringgold event.

As she prepared to reenter the workforce after six years as a stay-at-home mom, she wanted to ensure she would enjoy her work away from home.

“On paper, my skills are non-existent,” Walters said. “If I’m going to go back to work, I would prefer to enjoy it and not loathe it at the end of the day.”

After scrolling through social media, Walters saw a bookstore specializing in romance. “It was my first intro to a romance-based bookstore,” she said. “I latched onto that and started doing research.”

She called her husband about the idea, telling him she knew it would be awhile before she could actually bring the plan to life.

Two days later they were looking at a storefront on Taylor Street in Mount Ayr.

Walters was nervous about the response she would get opening a romance bookstore in rural Iowa, but a community survey showed people were on board.

“I wanted to gauge an idea of what people thought,” Walters said. “I wasn’t expecting a huge response, but it was enough to make me feel pretty good. A lot of people were really interested in the idea of a book club. I was really surprised at how many people said romance. That was really good to hear knowing the direction I wanted to head.”

Throughout the community, Walters has received positive feedback. “Once people kind of knew what was happening, I’ve heard nothing but good things,” she said. “I’d be outside painting, and have women doing their morning walks come by and say they are so excited.”

More than a bookstore, the space doubles as a micro-event venue for bridal showers, baby showers and other festivities.

The survey response showed people liked the idea of hassle-free decorating as That’s What She Read offers a fully decorated package for up to 30 people as one of their event options. A full list of event packages is available on their Facebook Page.

Closed on Mondays, the store will be open Tuesdays and Thursdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. It will be closed Saturday evenings and Sundays for events, though Walters said they can be flexible.

Unable to find grants for women-owned small businesses, the Walters have financed the bookstore out of pocket on a single-income family with four children.

“It’s terrifying,” Walters said. “I’m so very hopeful this will be successful.”

Her first day of sales coincided with Road Trip Ringgold as she wanted to ensure she would have the inventory to participate the event. Roadtrip Ringold is an annual event featuring shop-hopping, garage sales and more throughout Ringgold County.

“I consider it wildly successful. I don’t know if I would have had the foot traffic if I opened another day,” Walters said. “Just staring at the shelves, I can tell it’s noticeably diminished, and that’s awesome.”

That’s What She Read has a variety of young adult and new adult fantasy romance in addition to adult romance and more. There’s a small table of kids books available as well.

Despite readers being generally described as introverted or quiet, Walters said books make them come alive. “That’s the great thing about book people,” she said. “If you see someone pick up your favorite book, you want to talk to them about it.”

Walters uses Ingram Content Group as her book distributor, but plans to get a provisional membership with the American Booksellers Association, a non-profit dedicated to helping independent bookstores thrive.

One of her priorities in the store is being inclusive. “That’s really important to me,” Walters said. “The first couple orders didn’t have a lot of variety. ‘Red, White and Royal Blue’ is my queer book for Pride Month.”

She has big plans for the store, though she recognizes she can only move so quickly.

“I will take the recommendations. I will look for them and try to find books similar,” Walters said. “Even though I’m a book lover, and I read a lot, you will never be able to grasp the amount of books people read and people like. We’re not even touching the surface of possibilities.”