Since taking over The Book Worm in Powder Springs, Ga., in November 2020, owner Julia Davis has been slowly adding more new books as she diversifies the store's inventory.
Davis, who is also a children's author, told the Marietta Daily Journal that the store's inventory was about 98% used when she started. Now that mix stands at about 80% used and 20% new, with most of those new titles consisting of books by diverse authors or books in languages other than English. She noted that although Powder Springs is a diverse town, that diversity was not reflected in the books that people would sell to the bookstore.
"Say, just, my culture, African-American women--anything history related, we don't usually give up, because it is so hard to find those history books," Davis explained. "So if you're just focusing on used books, or people bringing in used books, or trying to find used books, you're only going to find a small amount of diversity, a small amount of books in different languages, a small amount of books in different cultures."
Davis has partnered with schools and local businesses, including a general-goods store next door and a bartending school called Special Blends. The latter, Davis added, has even created custom cocktails for the Book Worm's book club meetings.
While the town's business community has been extremely supportive, Davis has faced some prejudice from shoppers and the community at large. She recalled that while she was learning the ropes from previous owner Susan Smelser, there were some elderly, white customers who frequented the store. Some of those customers have stopped visiting the store since she took over completely.
"It's sad that we're still in that state, that people will not shop based on the way someone looks" without even giving herself or the store a fair chance, she said.
Davis first visited the store in early 2020, before the Covid-19 pandemic. When she told Smesler that it was her lifelong dream to open a bookstore of her own, Smelser told her that she was ready to retire and looking for someone to buy the business. Partly because of complications stemming from the pandemic, it took roughly 10 months for the ownership transition to take place.
Davis said her ultimate goal with the store is to create a place where "everybody can be able to walk here and find something that looks like them, something that they can learn from because it does look like them."