Jeff Kinney, bestselling author and owner of An Unlikely Story Bookstore & Café in Plainville, Mass., discussed both of his passions with Ireland's Virgin Media Television, which reported that a few years ago, Kinney "ploughed millions of his own dollars into buying an old colonial building in the center of his town, which he turned into a bookshop.... The store may not be profitable yet, but the creator of the hugely successful Wimpy Kid series is a draw--he works on the third floor and visitors pop into the bookstore hoping for a glimpse of the man himself."
"I have a studio up there, so I run into kids in the bookstore all the time," Kinney said. "Sometimes I'll take them up to the studio to have a look around. It's a good life. If I want to be famous, I can go to the first floor and if I want to work, I go to the third floor."
Noting that it is "clear his local community means everything to him," Virgin Media Television wrote that Kinney has invested in "crumbling properties in town and renovating them to make it a better place for people to live."
"We live in a small town on purpose, because we like a small-town lifestyle," he said. "The downtown can really spur the community.... I like having the options and the security, but what I'm very passionate about is our bookstore, where we have a staff of 25. I'm motivated to make sure that the bookstore thrives, so that my employees can thrive.... I've got a great life, a great family, a bookstore here in Plainville. I get to travel around the world and meet kids from all over. I really can't ask for more."