Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Martin.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Cleveland is a tiny town with not many things to do in the community. A used bookstore was posted on marketplace and I just knew that would be the perfect place to start! My love for books and games would make the perfect store to open in this tiny town. Within 2 weeks I was able to purchase and setup the book and game store in town, and purchase products from local vendors/business to showcase in the store. October 2023 I had a grand opening with a local author signing, a lot of local vendors items and tons of goodies. My vision was to be able to bring the magic of the bookfair to adults who have reignited their love for reading while also bringing free activities to the community. The bookstore hours were after I got off my full time job and on the weekends as I could. Now, we are in a bit bigger building, open Tuesday through Saturday 10a.m.-2p.m. that my mother volunteers to work.
I have a lot of free events throughout the year. Some events just this past year are story times for kids(every 3rd Saturday of the month), every couple months there are Adult Book fairs, paint nights, game nights, and comedy night.
At the Adult bookfair we host indie authors, vendors, and usually a food truck when possible. Next event is the bookfair at the store October 25th, 10-2, with a game night from 4-6, and ends with a Halloween movie out back in partnership with the coffee shop next door.
After opening the bookstore in 2023 I knew it was going to be hard to offer free events and be able to keep the doors open. With the holidays fast approaching I decided I would use books and supplies from the locals businesses/vendors to create gift boxes. I created a tiktok and opened a shop, created an etsy, and started working on a website for people to order. I am constantly creating new gift sets. Within the first 6 months I was able to ship to all US states, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, and Ireland!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As with an business there have been a lot of struggles. Cleveland is a tiny town and without the neighboring towns and my online business I would not be able to stay open. Finding suppliers and places to purchase wholesale, affording rent and utilities, fighting constant violations on tiktok and other businesses taking my hard work and ideas have been the hardest part. There are days I just want to close it all but then remember why I started it to begin with. To bring something to this community that offers free events, a safe place for the community to hang out grab a book or game.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I work a full-time job on top of owning Faded Pages bookstore. Aside from my full-time I spend a lot of time on social media to provide for the store. My in-person communications are no where near enough to support the store. I create content, go live, and am constantly creating new products. I specialize in blind dates with a book and gift boxes. I have created a mental health box in collaboration with 2 other companies I found on Tiktok. Mental health is very important to me and getting a product that gives the resources while also bringing joy of gift box was my main plan. Yes, I have other boxes and gift sets but the mental health box is the one I am most proud of.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fadedpagesbookstore.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faded_pages_bookstore
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1D4dW3cj7u/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@fadedpagesbookstore
