Bookshop Hopes for Avid Readers

Once upon a time, Janet Geddis walked by an empty storefront on Prince Avenue. For months, she looked at the building and thought, that would be an ideal place for a book shop.

But another tennant wanted the space, so she put her dream away and began looking for another location in which to sell books. She looked and she looked, wondering about accessibility and ambiance and the feel of the building, as well as price and placement.

And then things changed, and suddenly, the space she wanted at Prince, Hill and Pope opened up, and she rented it. She had 800 less-than-perfect square feet to transform into something welcoming, interesting and attractive.

Tonight, at 7, Geddis will celebrate the realization of her dreams for Avid Bookshop. She's inviting the Athens community to come see what she, her friends and supporters have done with the 800 square feet and to learn what they hope to do for the city's body of readers and word lovers.

"I'm thrilled," she said, looking around. Her glance took in the balloon under which you can curl up and read, the shelves and shelves of children's books, the front room with the bookshelves on casters, the high ceilings and all the books.

"This is dreamy. It's exactly what I wished for."

A native of Chamblee, Geddis came to Athens to attend graduate school. She earned a master's in creative and gifted education, then decided that while she enjoyed being with children, she didn't want to teach. She liked staging events, and she loved books.

Eureka! Why not have a bricks-and-mortar bookshop--she was already operating a virtual bookstore--with 1/3 of the inventory in children's books? And plan authors' readings? and poetry readings? and story time readings? And....?

So, she did. And she's hoping people respond.

"Avid Bookshop is well-curated and expertly selected," Geddis said. "The demographics of the town suggest that a bookstore like this one will succeed. Athens is a town which values books."