Today we will be sharing a little gem of a book shop, Dog-Eared Books. Dog-Eared Books was founded on an equal love of dogs and books. It is a women-owned small business, located in Raleigh, North Carolina. Where they work tirelessly to provide the public with inexpensive quality books to read.
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I’m so happy Caitlynne and Stephanie agreed to do a Q&A for us, read their interview below and if you’re in the Raleigh, North Carolina area you will have to be sure to pop by and say hello to them and their adorable pups River and Rory! Most books in their brick and mortar store are $1! They also have an online shop, which is updated daily and books cost between $1-5. They have a ton of variety of books and ship all across the USA.
Q1: When did you start dog eared books and what was your inspiration?
We started Dog-Eared Books in August of 2016 in the spare bedroom of my house. We’d previously worked for a bookstore that was poorly managed and went out of business, so Stephanie and I were left without jobs. A couple months later, we decided to try it ourselves. We started selling on Amazon while doing monthly $1 book sales at the NC State Fairgrounds to try and rev up our social media presence. We also did several book fairs at schools. We did that for several months until we were able to rent our own space. In April of 2017, we had our grand opening of our brick-and-mortar. All books are $1/each. We have an online store at dogearedbooksnc.com so people can still shop anytime. We begin Dog-Eared Books because we know the value of reading and how it can have such positive impacts in people of all ages. We wanted to offer great quality books at low prices so that anyone and everyone could always enjoy the pleasures of reading.
What is the wildest book title you’ve seen come through your store?
I’m not sure about the wildest book, but we did recently find a rare copy of The Hound of Baskervilles published by Easton Press. It was one of 1200 copies printed. It included the certificate of authenticity and was signed by the illustrator.
What are you currently reading? And how many books do you typically read per year?
Stephanie: I usually read a book and listen to a book at the same time. I’m currently reading “Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights” by Lemony Snicket. I’m listening to the first book in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” series. I’m a sucker for some YA. Caitlynne and I also started reading the extended “Dark Tower” anthology. It’s 25 Stephen King books, and we’re both about half way done with it. My goal for 2020 was 50 books, which I achieved by reading 50 exactly. My goal this year is 55.
Caitlynne: I do the same as Stephanie where I listen and read a book at the same time. I’m currently reading “The Underneath” by Kathi Appelt. I’m listening to “Willa of the Wood” by Robert Beatty. I’ve gotten back into mystery/thrillers like Michael Connelly and Spencer Quinn. Last year I read 110 books and this year my goal is 150, including a lot of early chapter books required for a Children’s Literature course I am taking.
Is there an author you think deserves more attention than they currently get?
Some of the authors we enjoy immensely that we feel don’t get as much publicity are Lemony Snicket, Spencer Quinn, and Fredrik Backman.
What do you wish book lovers knew about local independent bookstores?
It’s a struggle sometimes! It’s not a romantic, Beauty and the Beast type career. Dog-Eared Books
isn’t just a local bookstore, we’re also a used bookstore. We rarely sell new books. There is a lot of physical labor involved in running our store. Used books are heavy, dusty, and oftentimes damaged. The two of us go through thousands of books a day, making sure they are good enough quality for our customers. We update inventory daily on our online store. The bottom line is when you buy from an independent bookstore, every purchase means something. Every purchase helps go towards rent or paying employees, or buying supply. You are supporting local people in your community which is why we started this bookstore in the first place.
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