Today we’d like to introduce you to Abigail Anderson.
Hi Abigail, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Once upon a time, there was a girl who loved books.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery was gifted to me when I was a little girl, and reading it for the first time altered something in me, changing me forever. For the first time, I saw myself in a fictional character. We played the same, dreamed the same, and looked at the world through the same whimsical lens. We cherished imagination just as deeply as we cherished family. I loved Anne like she was a real friend.
From that moment on, I was hooked. I was always reading something, spending as much time in the library as I could.
Owning a bookstore lived quietly in the back of my mind for years, but it never felt like something I was able to pursue. I was a little bit of an overachiever in school, doing everything I could to build the perfect résumé. Starting out as a music theory major, I loved being immersed in the arts, but I listened to the voices around me and switched my major to something more “practical” in finance and economics. I did, however, keep my music theory minor because I wasn’t ready to let it go completely.
Two weeks after graduating, I moved to Dallas and started working as an analyst at a large financial company. I stayed for nine years and hated every single moment. Every single day, I went home feeling like I had wasted another piece of my life in an environment that drained me. It felt like my entire soul was rejecting where I was, but I didn’t know how to get out. I was burnt out, stuck, and deeply unhappy.
Reading became my escape. It was how I coped. I would spend my working days thinking about the book I would return to that night, about the fictional worlds I could jump back into.
Eventually, I reached a breaking point in my career. I remember someone asking me, “What is the one thing you think about the most? That’s what you should do with your life.”
Books. I think about books all the time.
I think about reading books, collecting books, genre theory, and beloved characters. I think about authors and their lives and what led them to create the stories they’ve told. I think about how different people read the same book and walk away with completely different pieces of it. I think about quotes and how people carry them into their lives, how they recite them, how they let them shape who they are.
Books consume my mind.
So I quit my job.
With no retail experience and no prior understanding of how to run a business, I opened a bookstore. All I had was a dream and the certainty that this was what I was meant to do.
I truly believe the right book, in the right hands, at the right time, can change someone’s life.
And I want to be the person that places the right book in the those hands.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t been smooth sailing. I’ve had to teach myself everything, learning hands-on from the ground up without a roadmap. Work through mistakes and navigate harsh critics.
It’s exhausting most days. There are days where I give absolutely everything I have and still end up in the negative. There are days where I’ve poured all of my energy, every idea, every ounce of effort, and somehow it still doesn’t feel like enough. Like no matter how much I give, there’s always more I could have done, more I should be doing.
And it makes it hard to rest. Not because I don’t need it, but because my mind won’t let me. I care too much. I want this to succeed. I want to build something meaningful, something people can walk into and feel comfort, inspiration, belonging.
So I think about it constantly. How to make it better. How to make it last. How to make it everything I know it could be.
And that weight is heavy sometimes.
But even in the hard moments, I have purpose in this. I’ve found meaning in building something that matters to me, and that’s what keeps me going.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Storytellers Bookshop?
While I’m chasing my dreams, I want to help others chase theirs too.
At Storytellers Bookshop, we specialize in Texas authors, thoughtfully curated special editions, and bookish goods sourced from fellow small businesses.
Our mission is to support a genuine love for reading while creating a warm, welcoming haven for book lovers of all ages and backgrounds. Through author signings, bookish markets, and community gatherings, we aim to be a small business that supports the small businesses around us.
We are passionate about championing independently published authors and celebrating local voices. Even beyond our shelves, we proudly support artisans by offering unique, handcrafted bookish goods, ensuring every purchase pours back into small businesses and dreamers like ourselves.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
My two favorite books of all time is Anne of Green Gables, and Pride and Prejudice. But reading fiction in general gets me through anything. There’s something about stepping into another world, another life, that reminds me how much beauty and possibility there still is in this one. There’s so much power in fiction, especially in the empathy it creates.
And on the days when I don’t have time to sit down and read, I’m still finding my way back to stories through Libro.fm. Audiobooks have been such a steady companion in the middle of busy seasons.
Quick little shoutout because what they do really matters, if you have a Libro.fm membership and choose Storytellers Bookshop as your bookstore, your support goes directly to us (or whichever indie bookstore you love most). It’s such an easy, meaningful way to keep small bookstores going.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://storytellers-bookshop.square.site/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storytellers_bookshop?igsh=MXBibmc0cWQwNjNuYQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://libro.fm/storytellersbookshop
Image Credits
Abigail Anderson
