Angela Redden became the owner of Reading Rock Books, Dickson, Tenn., in September, though she "had actually been managing the bookstore on her own since previous owner, Laura Hill, relocated to Texas on June 1," the Tennessean reported, adding that "before the move, Redden shadowed and absorbed all the information she could on how to run a bookstore and expressed her gratitude to Hill for being so helpful throughout the entire process."
Redden had never owned a bookstore before, but she was prepared to hit the ground running in her community: "It means so much to own a piece of my hometown, and I'm excited to be part of the business world in Dickson County.
Because she is also Dickson County Imagination Library program coordinator, she has ideas for the future of Reading Rock Books and its impact in the community. The Tennessean wrote that Redden "envisions it being a place where readers and writers can connect with each other and has already been able to bring four authors into the store for events that have done just that. She'd also like to allow the bookstore to be a small event place, allowing children to host their birthday parties at, with their favorite book as the theme." She also plans to remodel the building.
Redden expressed her gratitude to the Dickson County community for being so welcoming to her as a new business owner: "Reading is powerful and a building block for life. I want to bring that spark to the community, and once I have done that, I will feel like I've fulfilled my purpose."