Love & Lore Bookstore will host a grand opening celebration next month at 115 North Main St. in Huntington, Utah. Owner Shaylee Allred told KOAL News: "I loved reading when I was a kid. I got back into it a few years ago, and I feel like the community needs more books and reading. I kind of just jumped into it. I wanted this building forever, and when I saw it was for rent, I just did it. I had no plan, but I started it. I found a few friends online that have bookstores as well in Utah, and they were very kind and helpful."
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| Love & Lore owner Shaylee Allred | |
Allred has more than 11,500 followers for her Instagram account, bookedwithshay, and has hosted two romance novel conventions, Romance Out West and Romance Out East.
Considering some of the challenges she has faced as she prepares to open the bookstore, Allred noted: "It's such a niche thing in a small area, but I do think reading has become a huge thing. Ever since Covid, I have a lot of friends that read. I have a book club, and I just think it's something our community needs and can lean more into."
The bookshop's walls are lined with 23 floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and Allred aims to offer something for everyone: "I'm basically going to bring everything and anything. I plan on having traditional authors and a lot of Indie authors. I have a lot of Utah local authors that I'll have stocked in here as well, but I plan to have everything for everybody in the community from children's books to young adult, middle age, historical fiction, romance, contemporary fantasy, everything."
Reflecting on her path to opening Love & Lore, she said, "I think the most gratifying thing for me so far is that I've had a few high school-age kids and middle-aged kids stop me on the street because they know I'm opening the bookstore, and that's around the age I started reading, and to see them love it. Just kind of fuels my heart, so it's all worth it." She hopes to be ready for a grand opening by July 11.