It has been a long since I’ve regularly posted on my Always Packed for Adventure blog. I haven’t been gone, so much as I have started a new business.
Books Inside Boxes is a book subscription box company that I started in August 2023. The idea came from the sadness that I felt when the indie bookstore where I work closed my primary work location. I didn’t lose my job, as I was able to move to a different location, however, I realized that I was mourning the loss of the community of customers that our location had built. We were in a mall and that presented a unique customer base of elderly mall walkers, parents with young children, and groups of teens. We served them with a welcoming vibe and I had become quite close to many customers.
Indie bookstores are struggling. They need society to value them and actively shop at them, even when there are cheaper and more convenient options. We need the community that indie bookstores create, we need the expertise and personalized experience that booksellers can provide, and we need to acknowledge that books are art that are worth spending money on.
Books Inside Boxes is not an ordinary book subscription box model. I created my “Literary Road Trip” series, where each month I themed a book box to a different state and I work with an indie bookstore in the featured state. My primary goal is to highlight and promote awesome indie bookstores. I also spend a bit a money with them by buying store merch to go in the boxes.
My customers are book lovers who value indie bookstores. We think that indie bookstores are magical places that need preserving. This is not a business, but a social movement.
Last week, I was contacted by a writer at Redfin, yes the real estate site, to share my favorite Palm Springs location. I was asked based on this website, as I often write about my travels and Palm Springs is a favorite. I wanted to use this opportunity to share a wonderful indie bookstore in Palm Springs and bring attention to Books Inside Boxes.
I shared a review about The Best Bookstore in Palm Springs, located in the downtown shopping district. My contribution was part of a wider article and you can read it here.
I hope that you’ll visit The Best Bookstore in Palm Springs and check-out many of the other fantastic recommendations in the article. I also hope that if you’re a indie bookstore lover, that you join us at Books Inside Boxes.