FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Owner of Bookish, Kendra Gayle Lee, says she's been busy texting, calling, and face-timing clients to help them select the perfect book out of her shop.
The small business owner just opened her book store in the fall in East Atlanta and did not have a large online presence when she had to close her doors.
"The day I closed the store, I realized I need to find a way that I can still sell books," says Lee.
That's when the book lover began uploading her inventory online, posting on social media, and delivering books for free to customers. The book enthusiast also started taking customers on tours of the shop through face-time and sending them texts with pictures of her in-stock books.
Lee says she has gained a more intimate relationship with customers, and the business has become more "hands-on".
"I think people just really need a way to get out of their current situation. Reading books has the power to do that and it allows someone to get in touch with the emotions that they're feeling," adds Lee.
The store owner has been making deliveries through East Atlanta, and admits that the free deliveries quickly started about a conversation about disinfecting the books.
"I am no expert in this, but I've researched and talked with some of our clients about what they're doing and then I share those tips with the customers that are ordering books," explains Lee.
Lee says some of her clients use Clorox wipes depending on what time of cover the book has or they simply 'quarantine' the book outside their home for 72 hours before touching.
The book store recently partnered with bookshop.com to offer new books that are not currently in stock. The books ordered through the website get delivered straight to the customer, and Bookish gets a portion of the sales when purchased through their website link.
To see what is currently in stock at Bookish, visit their website here. If you are interested in getting a book delivered, you can text Lee at 404-496-8722 or email her at stories@BookishATL.com.
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