After an online debut in September 2024, I Have Lived a Thousand Lives Bookstore opened a bricks-and-mortar storefront last month in Athena, Ore., the East Oregonian reported.
The store is located at 402 E. Main St., and owners Kalyn Sloan and Tanna King carry a book inventory consisting mainly of YA and adult books, with an emphasis on titles popular with women and trending on TikTok. Their nonbook offerings include book-related merchandise, like T-shirts that are printed in-house, and they sell homemade cookies and sourdough bread. The owners also hope to add a children's section in the months ahead.
They host book clubs and a monthly "sip and shop" event, in which customers browse and connect with each other and the owners. King told the East Oregonian that she and Sloan "want to be what makes them come down here. Not to spend money, but just to have a conversation."
Following the online debut last September, King and Sloan built a following by offering blind-date-with-a-book packages that included a paper-wrapped book, tea, a book bingo card, and other items. It proved popular enough that they rented a physical storefront less than six months later.
For the moment, Sloan and King still work day jobs and operate the bookstore every weekend, from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon. Looking ahead, they would like to switch to running the bookstore full time and eventually move to a larger location.