Believe in Your Dreams

My love for books has always lived in my heart.

Some of my happiest childhood memories involve getting lost in a story and forgetting about the world around me for a little while.

Being an author is one part of who I am. The other part is sharing the same stories I loved as a child.

For years, I wanted a place where people could walk in and feel what my childhood felt like all those years ago.

I wasn't sure that dream would ever come true. Honestly, I thought it was years away.

Whenever I walked past an old building in a small town, I would find myself imagining what kind of bookshop I would put there. Where the books would go. What it would look like. The kinds of stories I would place on the shelves.

But we all know a brick-and-mortar bookstore is expensive. And to be honest, as an author who seems to be growing new stories every few months, I knew I couldn't manage a traditional bookstore. Then one day, while walking through a space we already had in an antique mall, it hit me. I already had the space. Maybe not the kind of space I had imagined, but enough space to start.

So, I bought wallpaper and, for the first time in my life, I learned how to hang it. Thankfully, it was peel-and-stick wallpaper, which is much easier than the traditional kind, though matching the patterns tested my patience more than once.

And I started bringing in things I had been saving for years in the hopes of one day having a bookstore. Antique crystal doorknobs that now hang from the ceiling. Vintage children's books I have collected for years. (Don't worry, I still have hundreds at home that will never be sold. They're simply too special to me.) Vintage bookends. Children's lamps. All these treasures that had been tucked away in boxes, stored in closets, and waiting for a purpose.

Little by little, our little space began to change. What had once been a booth slowly started becoming the bookshop I had imagined all those times while walking past old buildings and dreaming.

Now, I have a small place where original children's book artwork sits beside vintage books, and stories from generations ago share shelf space with stories that are just beginning their journey.

I don't really think about whether a book is old or new. I think about whether it is a good story.

And there is something wonderful about seeing all of those stories together in one place.

I love what I built, and more than that, I enjoy visiting with customers who seem to feel the same magic I hoped this small space would have. Little Doorknob Bookshop has only been open a short time, but it already feels comfortable. The stories I chose for this shop feel at home.

Many books have already found their way to new homes, while others wait patiently for someone to discover them. And every time I walk into the shop, I feel happy. Because what started as a dream I thought was years away is now a reality, and I still cannot believe it.

Even though dreams do not always show up like you expect them to continue believing in them because they really can come true.

Cindy