Photo by Neal Embry.
A customer peruses the shelves at Thank You Books, a new brick-and-mortar bookstore on Crestwood Boulevard in the Crestwood neighborhood.
While literature has impacted each of their lives in unique ways, the love of books shared by three Birmingham-area women brought them together to open a new, independent bookstore in Crestwood.
Thank You Books opened at 5502B Crestwood Blvd. on Dec. 14 and is owned by Kristen Iskandrian, Laura Cotten and Elizabeth Goodrich.
Each owner comes with a different background in literature: Cotten is a teacher, Iskandrian is an author and Goodrich is a pastor.
“We’ve staked our lives, or at least our livelihoods, on sharing books with people,” Cotten said.
“All roads led here,” Iskandrian said.
Cotten said the owners want the new bookstore to be a neighborhood store, a place where people can talk about books, share their stories and make new connections built around literature.
“Find your book, find your people,” Iskandrian said.
Both books themselves and the connections they can create between people are equally important, Iskandrian said.
All three women felt there was a great opportunity for a new independent bookstore in the Birmingham area, Iskandrian said.
The discussion of opening a bookstore began in June 2017, Cotten said, but it wasn’t until last July that the three women found the right space. Several different areas were considered, including downtown and Five Points South, until the space next to Crestwood Pharmacy became available.
“We’re very happy with how it all unfolded,” Iskandrian said.
Shelves were added and the design was tweaked a bit as the owners worked with a retail designer they met in the neighborhood. The store features numerous shelves of books, reading areas and a children’s area in the back with comfortable seating and engaging designs.
Many parts of the store, including cushions and signage, came from someone in town, Cotten said, and any needs the store encounters can be met by other Birmingham-area businesses, reflecting the talent that can be found throughout the area.
Despite the emergence of online sellers like Amazon, Cotten said it has been a really good decade, and very positive last two years, for independent bookstores.
“We don’t think we’re offering the same thing as Amazon,” Cotten said. “We’re providing something different than they are.”
An independent bookstore like Thank You Books offers a community connection, a place where people can come and meet and get to know one another as they shop for their next book or through book clubs, the owners said. It also provides a place where, in a digital age, computers aren’t necessary.
“I really relish the opportunities to get off my computer when I can and be in the world,” Iskandrian said.
The bookstore will also host author events and other types of events, something they’re focusing on ramping up as they grow their customer base. The store offers a wide range of literary fiction, kids and young adult books, as well as smaller, indie presses, poetry and local authors. Other merchandise includes soft toys, apparel and writing instruments.
Current author events scheduled include: Poet Heather Christle on Jan. 25, author and University of Montevallo professor Ashley Wurzbacher on Jan. 30 and author Cynthia Newberry Martin on March 11. More events might be scheduled for February, as well.
For more information on the store and on upcoming events, visit thankyoubookshop.com. The store is currently open from Tuesday through Sunday. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. While the store is currently closed on Mondays, Cotten said that might change in the future.
The store can also be found on social media. Thank You Books has a Facebook page, and both its Twitter and Instagram handle is @thankyou_bhm.
