“The bookies are the best part of it,” said Star Lowe, owner of Star Line Books on Market Street, in an interview on Thursday.
Ms. Lowe and her husband started looking for a home in Chattanooga when their daughter Hannah began school at Berry College.
“I've got a wonky sense where I can go into a city right away and know if I could live there—if I could be happy there,” Ms. Lowe said.
She said that she always knew Chattanooga was a place where she “could thrive with very little effort.”
In July of 2012, her family moved into a house on Missionary Ridge.
“Of course, the first thing that I did was search out an independent bookstore because I thought that was how I'd meet likeminded people—that was how I'd enter the community,” Ms.
Lowe said.
To her surprise, though there were some wonderful used bookstores, there were no independent bookstores in Chattanooga when she arrived. Rock Point Books had closed two years earlier.
She talked about the “cultural explosion” happening in the city and mentioned places like the Hunter Museum of American Art and the Tivoli Theatre. She compared Chattanooga to cities in Colorado or the Seattle area because of its progressive, outdoorsy, and environmentally-minded vibe.
“Bookstores anchor the community,” Ms. Lowe said. “It's just a necessity for a forward-thinking, progressive city to have an independent bookstore.”
In August of last year, she put her dreams to work and opened Star Line Books at 1467 Market Street.
Her daughter, Hannah, who stopped by the shop briefly during the interview, has been a huge help.
“She's my free spirit, very independent,” Ms. Lowe said. “She does quite a bit of the buying. She's got a great eye, especially for the children's section.”
That has been particularly useful as Ms. Lowe prepares for her first book fair, taking place at The Bright School on May 4 – 6.
Though she said Scholastic does a great job of bringing affordable books to school children, they often provide the same options across the board and their selection has a lot of “less-than-diverse choices.”
Ms. Lowe said she's happy that The Bright School is thinking locally, and she hopes that she won't disappoint.
When she first opened Star Line, Ms. Lowe said that she stocked the store with titles that she liked and that were selling well. Over time, however, that initial inventory has been replaced largely with customer requests. She said the store “is now very reflective of its customer base.”
Ms. Lowe said she tries to read “broadly, globally, and eclecticly,” often seeking books outside her comfort zone, and that tends to be how her customers read, too.
“I have yet to have anybody come in and ask for bestsellers that you can buy anywhere. That's not what my people are looking for. They come in already pretty much knowing, already having a list,” she said.
And if customers don't know exactly what they want, she said she can help them figure it out. Many of the books she purchases with specific patrons in mind.
But it's tough work running an independent bookstore. Besides her daughter and a couple part-time booksellers, Ms. Lowe mostly manages everything on her own. Recently, she's been working round-the-clock to prepare for a number of upcoming events.
“I knew it wasn't gonna be easy. I knew it was not gonna be a cash cow,” she said. “But the worst thing about opening this bookstore is that I don't have time to read anymore!”
She joked about her fear of being crushed by the towering stack of books beside her bed.
However, events like the popular book club mixer she held in February make the job worthwhile.
“I love bringing book people together—people who are bookies at the core and who desperately wanna talk about the books that they're reading,” she said.
The next book club mixer is tentatively set for late June. This time, beer, instead of wine, will be the drink of choice.
Working with world-class authors has also been a perk of the job. Recently, Star Line hosted a successful event with Ron Rash and Robert Morgan.
But overall, she just loves being part of the Chattanooga community.
“People sometimes ask why I don't serve coffee. I'm in the Bermuda Triangle of coffee! My whole philosophy is to contribute and not compete. Go next store and get something and bring it in! I try to spread it out, spread it around,” she said. “I love being in the Southside. I love the vibe down here. It's so Chattanoogan.”
Upcoming Events at Star Line:
May 12 – Signing with Local Author Matthew Hubbard (5 pm – 7 pm)
May 12 – Workshop on Character Development with Susan Gregg Gilmore and Kelly O'Connor McNees (6 pm – 7 pm)
May 19 – Signing with Poets Nancy K. Pearson, Darnell Arnoult, and Sue Weaver-Dunlap
Hours: M – Sat 10 am – 6 pm
Address: 1467 Market Street, Suite 106, Chattanooga, Tn 37402