A women-owned bookstore in the Village of Barboursville is creating more than a place to buy books; it’s building a space for community, one co-owner said. 

Booktenders co-owner Ashley Skeen said the idea for the shop began somewhat unexpectedly when she and her business partner, Mandee Cunningham, realized they had the opportunity to create the kind of bookstore they both admired. 

“I always joke that it was kind of a mistake because our friend owns this building and he jokingly asked me if I wanted to open up a coffee shop and I said, ‘No I’ve always wanted to own a bookstore,’” she said. 

After bringing this up to Cunningham, Skeen said the next day the pair of reading buddies were looking over spreadsheets to launch this concept. 

The two shared a love of bookstores and realized the type of space they wanted did not exist locally, Skeen added. Consequently, they decided to create this dreamed-up space. 

Before opening the bookstore, both of the owners worked as bartenders, an experience that Skeen said helped inspire Booktenders’ unique model of pairing books with beverages beyond coffee. 

“It was natural for us to bring in coffee and tea, and even more naturally, beer and wine, which helps with creating that nice atmosphere too,” she said. 

That combination helps create a welcoming environment where visitors are encouraged to stay, read and connect with one another.

Visitors can look forward to being greeted with a smile from Skeen or Cunningham, the warm, familiar smell of books and, if you’re lucky, an invitation for pets from the resident shop dog, Copper. 

“We are a friendly bookstore and we really love putting the right book into people’s hand,” Skeens said. “We have a little bit of everything and then whatever we don’t have, we can usually order in. We love creating new friendships and new communities.”

Booktenders regularly host book clubs and gatherings, turning the shop into what Skeen describes as a “third space” somewhere outside of work and home where people can gather and build relationships. 

“This third space is a place where you go and feel known and accepted and you can create a community,” she said. “There’s a lot of talk around bookstores being third spaces and that is definitely how I see us.”

In addition to the day-to-day, Skeen said one recent event reminded her why the two decided to open the shop in the first place. 

“We recently had a local author named Anna Rollins here to talk about her memoir on growing up in diet culture and purity culture,” she said. “The back room was packed and all these women were just able to relate and have this conversation around these topics. That was definitely a ‘this is why we did this’ moment.”

While mostly a positive experience, Skeen said she sometimes noticed differences in how she and Cunningham were treated in the beginning stages of opening the store. 

“I’ve definitely felt the effects of how other people have viewed women running businesses differently,” she said. “One of the main things is just the way contractors would talk to us when we first opened.”

Still, Skeen said she is proud to be part of a growing number of female entrepreneurs in the region.

Looking ahead, Skeen said she hopes more people discover Booktenders and the community it fosters. 

“I just want everyone who would enjoy this place to know about us and to show up and join a book club,” she said. 

Supporting small businesses is key to keeping shops like Booktenders thriving, Skeen said. 

“I want people to recognize the value of shopping small and supporting small businesses,” Skeen said. “Convincing people why it’s worth spending a few more dollars and buying from us rather than ‘them’ and the experience we can offer over online shopping.” 

Kaitlyn Fleming can be contacted at [email protected].