Hidden Gems: Meet Julia Davis of The Book Worm Bookstore

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Davis.

Hi Julia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Owning a bookstore is something that I have always wanted to do. My love for reading started very early. According to my mother I was reading at the age of two. Ever since I have probably always had a book in my hand. As a teen, I remember being the one in the back seat reading a book on the way to whatever our destination was. One of my favorite authors growing up was Judy Blume and I couldn’t wait for the next book to come out. With my love for reading, I also remember having difficulty finding books by authors who looked like me.

Going into large chain bookstores I found myself seeing all the authors who looked like me on two, maybe three, shelves. It was frustrating and I told myself I was going to be the one who changed that. That is probably when the dream of owning a bookstore began – to own a store where everyone who walked in could see themselves in a book and one day have my own book on the shelves.

Of course, life takes over and sometimes your dreams are deferred. For me, that was a career managing law firms and then going into a corporate setting. Still always reading. After a birthday trip and visiting Shakespeare and Company in Paris, the dream of owning a bookstore was a top priority again.

I remember walking into what was then the Bookworm, a used bookstore in Powder Springs, and saying I could see myself owning a store just like this. Little did I know that was the plan God had for me. November 7, 2020, the Bookworm became “The Book Worm Bookstore” with a motto ” A place where love is shared as much as stories!”

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely not been a smooth ride, but fulfilling your purpose never is. I started the journey of purchasing the bookstore in February 2020 and soon thereafter COVID-19 was in full force. Not exactly the time to buy a business – particularly an Independent Bookstore.

I was also changing the model of the bookstore. The store had been in Powder Springs for a long time so I wanted to keep the name, but still make it my own. That is why the store’s full name is “The Book Worm Bookstore” with a book in our logo separating the words. However, that was not the biggest change. Changing from just used to a model of new and used was important to me. I wanted to make sure that my store was what I always imagined it to be – a place where everyone could find a book that they could see themselves in.

Changing the business model was a challenge. Most of the customer base had been accustomed to used book pricing. Now some of the books they wanted were brand new and was the cost printed on the book. There were also some who were very vocal about what was now a very diverse selection instead of a small section in the store.

There was also the challenge of being in a downtown area with not much foot traffic. Downtown Powder Springs had been dormant for so many years. With empty storefronts people spent a lot of years just driving by. Even now, we have customers who come in and say “I lived here 20 years and never knew this bookstore was here.” I thought taking over a long standing store in the community daily foot traffic wouldn’t necessarily be a problem. It was and is something The Book Worm team works very hard daily to change.

The bumpiest of rides is the one we are experiencing now. Having spent the last 4 years building a strong community bookstore and the last 2 planning a community story garden around our property, we now face the idea that what our customers envisioned we may not be able to make happen. After being one of the few businesses to survive construction from growth in the downtown area, we now find the city’s new growth project erasing what our customers have donated time and funding for our Story Garden. Of course, we love growth, but not at the expense of not only our small business but others around us.

What I will say, even with our current struggle, The Book Worm community continues to show us how much they appreciate and value what we bring to the area. The support they continue to show us, even during this tough time, makes me want to push even harder.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The Book Worm Bookstore is a black-owned new & used bookstore located in Downtown Powder Springs. My passion for promoting self-love and literacy has become the foundation that The Book Worm stands on. We have over 30,000 titles in a wide variety of genres with plenty of accessories to add to your book purchase. There is always something fun happening at The Book Worm. From Walking Book Club to Stuffy Sleepover there is something for everyone.

The Book Worm prides itself in bringing the community together one book at a time. We are known for our many unique events. Always going back to young Julia’s dream, I want to make sure everyone feels welcomed. I also want to make sure that we are a safe space for tough conversations. Let’s take book club. We choose fun books, but also books that open the door to have tough conversations. This is one of the things I am most proud of. Customers tell us often that we have opened their eyes to books that they may not have read had they not seen them on our shelves.

I would like to think we are also known for bringing the community together. In a time where there is so much division in the world, I try to do what I can to open the door for us to all come together. The Book Worm is a place of learning and working to support each other. If your readers were to take away just one thing from The Book Worm brand, I would want it to be a reminder that community building is important. Independent Bookstores are a safe haven for so many and a vital part of any community.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
This is a fun question for a bookstore owner. One of my favorite apps is StoryGraph. Besides the fact that it is a small business successfully competing with one of the biggest book apps around, it is so detailed for book lovers. Our 2025 reading challenge is very active on StoryGraph. We add books to each prompt, there is a read along option, and the monthly reading stats are so much fun. I highly encourage any book lover to try it out.

Books that help me do my best… I have to laugh considering that is my day to day life. They all help me do my best, each book has its time and place in what we are doing. However, I do have a few favorites. Our customers are also great resources. With “community” being one of our biggest focuses, what better place to go for books or other items on our shelf than to our customers. We love to hear what new books they would like to see, and events they would like us to host. There are even occasions when we reach out and have some customer hosted events We truly are a community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thebookwormonline.com
• Instagram: @shopthebookworm1
• Facebook: @TheBookWormPowderSpringsGA
• Youtube: @thebookwormbookstore2214

Image Credits
Skylar Seigler – all images