O'Brien's Bookshop: building community through a love for books and reading
O’Brien’s Bookshop opened a storefront in downtown Midlothian this May, and the owners, Lisa and Ross O’Brien, are working to provide two things: books for all and a community space to read them.
The O’Briens are creating this community in many ways, with the most prominent of them being their events: from hosting book clubs to game nights and “Meet the Author” events such as one held with Kathy Branning on July 9. They are even hosting “Harry Potter’s Birthday” events on July 31 in both Midlothian and Waxahachie.
“We do a lot of events,” Lisa said. “We're trying to do more. We try to get the community involved with us. And we try to collaborate with other businesses also. We love collaborating, like at the library, we have each other's summer reading program.”
The bookstore first began in a 13-foot by 15-foot space inside Gingerbread Antiques in Waxahachie. This was the pursuit of a dream for O’Brien after her long-held position as a proofreader was replaced by software.
“Our neighbor owns Gingerbread Antiques, and she had a spot,” O’Brien said. “Then we moved up to their loft area and took half of that, and then we took all of that. It was about 425 square feet. It's just been growing and growing over time. We've just been kind of doing one step at a time, not trying to get ahead of ourselves or ahead of God.”
The O’Briens put their name down for the storefront two years ago and continued to work in Gingerbread Antiques until they were ready to break out on their own. Now they are facing the journey of running an entire business and the work that comes with it.
“So, there's financial success, but then there's also the success of people just loving coming here and loving what we have and coming back,” Lisa said. “Yes, we need the financial to be able to stay in business, but when [people have] that loyalty and they love coming here, I think that's a huge measure of success.”
The shop is built for community building and has many elements for creating one. From a prayer wall in the back to chairs and chess, and a board game chest, O’Brien’s Bookshop is ready to take in people and give them a space to read and engage.
“We are here to bless the community,” Lisa said. “You know, we want to be a resource. We want to be a blessing. We want to be a place where groups can meet, you know, a hangout place. Like we have a group that meets on the last Saturday morning of each month, at 8:30, and then we have our book club. And, you know, we just want to be a place for people, for the community.”
O’Brien’s Bookshop is located at 301 W. Main St., Suite 108, Midlothian. For more information, visit www.obriensbookshop.com or call 214-817-8164.
Written by McGlauthon Fleming IV/In The Know Ellis contributor.
