By: Charles Romans
Carter County Times
A new bookstore, Hometown Books LLC, opened its doors in Grayson with a Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting on Saturday. The new bookstore showcases a wide variety of genres (virtually all of them) and is dedicated to providing Carter County, Grayson, and the entire region with the printed word. As the growing crowd lined up to enter the new store, more than one excited future customer said that Grayson had needed something just like this for a long time.
Owner Mari Ann Caudill is originally from Ashland, but has lived in Grayson for 13 years. Caudill said she developed a love of books at a very young age and that has carried through into her adult life. Caudill’s love of stories eventually became a love of telling stories, which she does as an indie author. There is a special section in Hometown Books just for local indie authors, in fact.
Bringing a bookstore to life and into the community was a long and often challenging process, Caudill said of the path leading up to Saturday’s Grand Opening.
“It was very difficult,” she said. “And I might do an e-book about that later.”
“Funding is the major challenge,” Caudill continued. “Some lenders feel as though bookstores are on the way out. But I was reading an article just the other day that said parents are pushing their children more toward books to keep them from spending so much time online.”
Caudill said if you are one of those parents, or like her simply a person who loves books, that she can help you to find something you will enjoy reading. She has an extensive collection, and is continuing to fill the shelves with children’s literature, young adult, and standard fiction in popular genres such as horror, science fiction, fantasy, and many other genres. Patrons can find romance novels and westerns, and most everything else they might want to read. And if they don’t have it on the shelf, Caudill says she can order it for you.
In addition to the broad selection of mainstream books and popular titles, Caudill said that she intends to build a selection of historical works about Appalachia and wants to build a section of general nonfiction as well. Also planned for the future are author book signings and special programs like a children’s story time.
Hometown Books is located at 520 East Main Street in Grayson, and Caudill says people are always welcome to come in and check the shelves themselves to see what they have to offer. People are also welcome to call 606-898-5761or visit their Facebook page @hometownbookstore. They have a social media presence on other platforms such as Instagram as well, and the main website is www.hometownbookstore.com where you can find all the information on upcoming releases and specials.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
