Austen's Shelf, a Black-owned mobile bookstore with a Regency theme, will make its debut appearance at the Cherry Hill Mall in Cherry Hill, N.J., on September 5, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Built out of a 7' × 14' trailer, the 98-square-foot bookstore stocks 380 titles. There are books for all ages across a variety of genres, along with book-related merchandise like candles, greeting cards, and stickers. The space is meant to evoke a Regency-era sitting room, and features a wooden mantelpiece, wainscoting, and wallpaper.
Owner Charity Herndon, a YA author whose second novel, Laced in Gold, is coming out next year, told the Inquirer that she decided to open a bookstore in response to a breast cancer scare: "In the scariest moment of my life, this [store] was just the peace that carried me through. I'm hoping that when people come into the store, that they feel that same amount of peace and that they feel at home."
Herndon said it was important to her to emphasize diverse authors. "I really wanted to be inclusive and that every single person that walks in can find a book for them and that they can see themselves through the characters in the book."
The debut appearance at the Cherry Hill Mall will begin on September 5 and run through September 7. After that, Herndon plans to take the mobile shop to bookswaps, wineries, coffee shops, and more around southern New Jersey.