There is an empty vet office for sale right on the main drag of my little rural town, and as soon as I saw the sign, I immediately started planning a bookshop in the space. I mean, I have no money and no means to get any money to open a bookshop, but it’s just a little fantasy that comes into my head whenever I see vacant buildings.

I even went so far as to pull up the listing, and looked at the rooms and what would be needed to pull it all together. And I made a beautiful plan in my head, so I thought I would share my dream with all of you. Maybe someone will see a small business they can purchase and turn into a bookshop like the one I dream about.

First of all, the building is currently a vet, so there is definitely some renovation that will need to happen, removing the kennels and exam equipment throughout the offices. I would also need to remove the reception desk and probably at least one wall between exam rooms. There’s also a garage-ish area that was used for large animal exams, with a roll up door that would need to be modified.

Once all of the vet equipment was removed, I would start building the bookcases along all of the walls, with some smaller free-standing shelves and tables throughout. The different rooms would make for good category breaks. I would sell all fiction, with spaces for romance, sci-fi/ fantasy, mystery, and general fiction areas. I would also turn the large animal room into a teen/ children’s book space.

I would sell bookish accessories by local vendors. Anything that isn’t available from a local vendor, I will get from diverse businesses, Black owned, Asian owned, LGBTQIA+ owned, Women owned, etc.

But the absolute best part of the entire shop is the back yard. It definitely needs some work, but I would add pavers, flowers in pots, and put up a portico that could be covered during the rainy season. This would be my event space for author signings, book club meetings, etc. I might add a little coffee cart for regular usage.

Of course, I live in a pretty conservative, rural area and the downtown area of my town is only about 6 blocks with a tavern, 3 or 4 restaurants, a wine vault, 2 mechanics, a convenience store and several antique stores. So I’m not sure my area is the right market for a store of the type I dream about.

But I think it could be beautiful.