Co-owners Cammie Fuller and Rachel Sirene plan a March opening for Old Town Open Book at 104 Main St. in Warrenton, Va. Fauquier Now reported that the two friends "had no doubt Old Town needed an independent bookstore, and for the past five years they talked about how to fill that retail void."
"Every time we talked about this, it ended up with, 'Well, if no one else does it, by the time I'm ready, I'll do it,' " said Fuller, who last spring launched what became an "intense" research and planning process.
She and Sirene obtained information and help from the American Booksellers Association, visited more than 20 independent stores and spoke with local merchants, public school librarians and Fauquier's public library director.
"I had a business before," Fuller noted. "And I knew that you can't take it lightly. You can't cut corners; you've got to know what you're doing; you've got to know the landscape."
Noting that booksellers they consulted stressed the importance of "community engagement" and a deep knowledge of the local market demands, Fuller added: "Independent bookstores right now are surviving and thriving because they tie into their community and they learn what their community wants. I heard that over and over again."
Sirene noted that Old Town is "really the heart of our community. It's where so many people come to look for local items--whether it's locally crafted piece of art, or they're supporting a local jeweler or whatever their reason is. We just felt strongly about being part of the Main Street community."
They considered about a dozen Old Town properties before deciding on the former Latitudes storefront, a 1,500-square-foot space they will lease at $2,000 per month.
Warrenton Mayor Carter Nevill believes the new bookstore will appeal to all kinds of people: "I know this community. I know the desires of the community. I know what a bookstore brings to a community. Everything lines up for (Old Town Open Book) to be a success."