Susan Beck is launching children's bookstore Beehive Bookshop at 330 South Hamilton St. in Dalton, Ga., with a tentative opening date planned for mid-November. Bookselling This Week reported that Beck was inspired to open her own store after reading Sarah Mackenzie's The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids (Zondervan).
Beck recalled that Mackenzie's "mission was very powerful to me. It was so powerful that when it was time to take the book back to the library, I got sad I didn't own a copy. And I thought, well, I'll just go buy one." She also wanted to pick up a few titles the book recommended, but "that's when I realized there were no independent bookstores nearby. The closest big bookstore, Barnes & Noble, is nearly 30 miles away. We have a small Books-a-Million, but there was nowhere else to buy a book."
That sparked the idea for her own store, which is still under construction and will feature 1,100 square feet of retail space, with a small section for events. Although the inventory will focus on children's titles, a small selection of adult books will be stocked as well. She also plans to host book clubs for middle-grade readers and teenagers, as well as one for women and moms in the community, beginning in 2020.
Beck said the inspiration for the store's name came from the nature of beehives: "There's a proverb that says, 'Kind words are like honey--sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.' Of course, honey comes from our bees, and I think the world needs some more kindness." Beehives are also a place where bees gather, working together toward a goal, which she said is in line with the community focus of the bookstore: "I'm not a book expert. I'm just a mom who wants a fun place that makes reading fun for my kids and for other families in the community....
"I'm also looking forward to building connections with other moms and kids, as well as supporting our libraries and our teachers. The support from other independent bookstores has been absolutely amazing. People go out of their way to answer questions. It's such a supportive community, and I just want to thank everybody for every little bit of advice I've gotten along the way."