Read And Revel

Interview with Mikayla Mitchell at The Reading Rabbit Bookshop

So, you’re the co-owner?

I am co-owner with my mom, Vicki Rhodus. It started out as just something that my mom’s always dreamed of, owning a bookstore, but in January, she felt like God was telling her to open a bookstore and have a place for the community here in Azle. We just kind of jumped in feet first. We’re like, okay, let’s do this. I have just recently been able to come on as full time in the store, and it’s been exciting. She hopefully will be able to do the same soon. It’s just really nice to be able to see how receptive everybody’s been.

How did you come up with the name for Reading Rabbit? 

This is all my mom’s brain baby. She came up with the name, she’s always loved reading. It’s books, so let’s do Reading and then when it comes to rabbit, she has had over the past 10 years, kind of an obsession with them, just a little bit. We had five Netherland Dwarf rabbits when I was younger, and so that’s what kind of sparked that love. It just came to her one day that it would be The Reading Rabbit. And you obviously have the literary rabbits, like the Velveteen Rabbit, and then Alice in Wonderland. She thought it would be really cute. People would be able to be drawn to it. 

Do you stock a variety of genres, or do you try to specialize? 

We do have a variety. A big part of our store is that we are very inclusive, so we have something for everybody. Whether you’re wanting to have fantasy, mystery or non-fiction. We have religious and theology sections as well as LGBTQ,+, we even have a very diverse children section. We want to make sure that everybody can find something while they’re here.

Do you mainly sell new or secondhand books? 

All of our books are new. We do, however, have a free library that we encourage people to use. You can drop off books, and it’s free to pick up any amount that you would like. It’s been really loved. That’s just been a really cool, unique part, because we want everybody to be able to have a book, even if you can’t afford one.

What do you think makes your bookshop special? 

I think the fact that we’re so community focused, and that is like the heart and soul of our store. When my mom got this calling to open the bookstore, it was always about the community. Even just something like having the free tea and coffee and sweets for people so that when you come in, you know you don’t have to buy something to sit here and feel like everybody else. We even tell people that you don’t even have to buy a book when you come in, like if you just want to sit and do your homework or just be in a peaceful environment, then that’s okay. I think that makes us unique, because especially in our consumerist culture it’s all about buy buy buy. And that’s not what we’re about. The people will be here, and then the money will take care of itself. 

I love that perspective. Do you have any goals for the bookshop?

We would love to have some type of cafe, maybe not like a coffee shop, but there’s a couple of things in the works for beverages that can actually be crafted. Then eventually, the big goal is to have our own freestanding building where we might be able to have a larger space for events and a fully functioning cafe and things like that. 

How would you describe your store in three words?

Cozy, inviting, and unique.

What is the community involvement like here?

Just from the beginning, we’ve had so many people that we didn’t realize were wanting something like this in Azle. When we looked at the fact that the closest book shop that’s not like a Barnes and Noble was really in Fort Worth for a while. I know that there is now the Plot Twist in Denton, Arts and Letters in Weatherford, but there wasn’t anything here and it’s still a drive for people that live in Springtown and Lake Worth. But as far as our community goes, we just had so many people that show up initially for the books, and then we end up building those connections, and then they end up being our spokespeople! Like we have friends in the tattoo shops in Springtown that are always promoting our shop, and then we have our teas provided from Mandala Elemental Wonders on Main Street, and they are always promoting our shop. It’s so fun to see how people came in as customers, and they’re like, Okay, we need to tell as many people about this place as possible. Even for our events we have such a great turnout. Even the little things, like our Writers Club, we have people that are here on a regular basis for that. 

What music do you play in the shop?

So we do play a lot of instrumentals. It varies on the preference of whoever’s working. Depending on my mood, I like the pop instrumental because I can still kind of sing along with it quietly, or it’ll be smooth jazz. My sister likes to do the Lo Fi type music, but it’s always instrumental, because we don’t want the words to kind of mess with people while they’re reading.

What has been the hardest thing about being a bookseller,

Trying to keep up with how many new books are coming out and what people’s interests are. I can say, when we first opened, we thought that our romance section was going to be our most popular and it’s not. It’s fantasy and horror. And you wouldn’t think that. At least, if you’re on Book-Tok it’s all romance. I’m like, okay, reading is becoming popular again, it’s all romance. No, it’s not! So we’ve had to adapt, and we’re always trying to get new things in. That is definitely the hardest, because I’ll be up here and somebody’s like, “Oh, do you have this brand new book?” And I’m like, “I didn’t even know it was coming out, and I’m online all the time!”

What would you say is the best thing about being a bookseller?

The people. Just the interactions and the friends. Like I’ve made so many friends that I would have never had the opportunity to make if we hadn’t opened the bookstore and that’s my favorite part. 

So how do you ensure your bookstore stays diverse and inclusive?

Well, in the beginning, we had a lot of help, surprisingly, from the high schoolers. We wanted to be inclusive, but you have this newer generation that they know more than like, our management. I’m a millennial, my mom is a Gen X. We have our own interpretations of diversity, and we want to be as inclusive as possible. So we’ve had a lot of help from my brother and his friends, and then just doing our own research and trying to make sure that we are inclusive for everybody. That has been really great because you have a lot of people that come in here and we want them to feel wanted, and they aren’t expecting that. They aren’t expecting to feel that way. We try to do the best that we can to just make sure that we can represent everybody, no matter what they look like, believe or anything.

Do you think bookstores are still relevant in the digital age?

Absolutely, I think that, not just because I’m a bookseller, but because there’s just something about being able to hold on to a book that you can never replicate by listening to it, or using a Kindle, or anything like that. I think that the reason that bookstores are making a resurgence is because people are wanting that nostalgia, that we’ve fallen away with the digital age. I think that the more that technology goes up, bookstores will also do the same because of that craving to get back to a seemingly simpler time.

You know, I do think it’s funny how it feels like life is always on a pendulum swing. We go so far in one direction, then we’re like, wait, wait, wait, go back. I think too, especially in a post-Covid society, when you’ve had all feelings of community taken away we realized how much we were missing by eliminating that. So now we’re craving to go back in that direction, like, I want to talk to a human every once in a while. 

No, absolutely. And that’s something too, that surprisingly, a lot of people have brought up. There’s a lot of places where it’s slow to get back to the way it was pre-Covid. And it’s been so nice to be able to have so many people together. And I really like that. 

So do you think owning a book shop has changed your life and how?

Oh, absolutely. I think on a  funny part, it’s given me more gray hair. But on the positive side, it has made my life more full. Even on the days that are a little stressful, I can’t imagine not doing this. Even yesterday, there was a little boy that came in with his mom, and we had had an accident that happened in front of the store and our team was affected by it, because it was right out front. She brought in a box of goodies with her little boy, and he couldn’t even talk! He made a sound like he was going to say bread, and he was pointing in the basket. He had made bread with his mom for us! He drew on the card and everything. It’s those things, the beauty of people, I wouldn’t have been able to experience on the level that I have if we had never opened the store. We’re always having those special interactions. I can’t imagine not having this anymore, and I don’t know what I would do if we didn’t have it. So, I mean, even when there’s difficult days, it’s worth it.

That’s so special. I love that 

I did cry. I cried. I was trying not to cry in front of the mom, but I was like. *crying* “Thank you for making this bread!”

Absolutely fair.

What’s the greatest lesson you’ve learned from selling books?

I would say, since we’ve opened the store, I’ve learned that I need to give more grace. There are stressful days when you work in a retail industry. Not everybody’s gonna be happy, but you learn, especially in what we’re trying to create here with the community, that there are people out there that aren’t used to this. Sometimes that can be scary and they don’t know how to react to it. I’ve had to learn to give grace and not necessarily get upset or frustrated, maybe when somebody isn’t responding the way that I think they would. But those things are few and far between.

If you could invite any author dead or alive, into the bookshop for a signing. Who would it be?

For my mom, it would have to be Diana Gabaldon. That is her favorite author. We have a really large Outlander section, and just for her I would have to do that. If it was for me, I would say Lynn Austin. She writes clean historical romance, and she is amazing, even if you’re somebody who leans more towards any other genre, I think that you could find something that’s really good in her books. 

Where do you think the biggest change in book publishing will come from?

I think that there does need to be a way for indie authors to get out of that “I’m an independently published author” bubble. We have a lot of amazing indie authors just throughout our shelves, and they talk about how difficult it is to just get picked up and that would be something that would be a really positive change. Because there’s so many good stories. As far as the publishers, they’re probably just so bombarded that it’s like anything like in the entertainment industry. I think that would be really great if there’s a way to make it easier for them to get at least seen by these publishers and have their books pushed out. 

Do you have a favorite publisher?

Penguin House tends to have most of my favorite books. And I thought that Penguin Publishing House only did children’s books for a while. Then I  started to realize, oh, a lot of my favorite books are actually published by them, or they’re pushed by them, I’m not sure. But they have a lot more than just children’s books. 

What is the weirdest thing a customer has ever asked you for?

They’ve asked if they could buy the dragons. 

They are really cool dragons!

I don’t know! It’s just funny. Like, you get little funny things all the time, but nothing too crazy. 

Nothing too crazy yet?

Not yet! 

What is the nicest thing a customer has ever said to you?

I think that it wasn’t really something said. It was that interaction with the mom and the little boy, it was really surprising. We always get people that say wonderful things, which is really appreciated. I love the words of affirmation. But it was just the fact that this mom went out of her way to get all of these things, and we didn’t have to ask for it or say anything. She just knew we were here, and it was a rough day, and she just brought that and took her time to do that for us. So I think that even though it wasn’t spoken, that was probably the most impactful thing that’s happened to me, and it’s just great.

What was your best day here at the shop?

We had Ali Brady and they wrote Battle of the Bookshops. They were our first USA Today, and New York Times best selling authors that have come to the store. That day was just so much fun. We had a Mexican food truck, a lemonade truck. It was just so cool that the community came out and they showed up for them. It was so packed, I had to move my own car from the back, and I just parked on the side of the road. They had to come through the back, and it was just like an aisle of people was made for them. At that point, it wasn’t about the sales, it was just that we asked people, please, can you just show up so that these ladies can feel how big Azle can love on people and how great our community is. And they did! 

What little known book do you think is underrated?

A Candle In the Darkness by Lynn Austin. She’s my favorite author, but I do think it’s underrated. I think that we’re in the era of BookTok and everything’s about, like, spice, spice, spice. And that’s okay, but I think that the clean, cozy romance is not as mainstream as it used to be. If you’re looking for, like, historical fiction with just a little bit of romance, it’s really, really good, so underrated. I recommend it to everybody and I don’t think a lot of people know about her, especially because her books probably were published in the early 2000’s so nobody’s paying attention to the older books.

What well known book do you think is overrated?

I would say that the most popular is probably going to be Lights Out. I think it’s overrated, it just wasn’t for me. I mean to each their own. But I don’t get the hype. 

What book is your greatest treasure? 

It’s going to be my Princess Bride. It is a really old copy. When I was growing up, it was one of my favorite movies to watch with my dad, and I have it. I will admit- I’ve never read it. I mean, I’ve only ever watched the movie, but it is my most cherished book, and it’s just like a beautiful, itty-bitty copy of it. And I will never, ever get rid of it.

What book made you love reading? 

It was The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon. I was way too young to read it. My mom has always been a book worm and she would always go to the library and she’d get Diana Gabaldon and I remember my dad, he’s a big talker, so we were always sitting outside for forever while he was inside talking to somebody, and she just handed me The Fiery Cross, and she didn’t think that I was gonna read a lot of it. The way this book has had a choke hold on me for my entire life since then. I even forgot that that was what the book was called. I remember just Googling one day, like, there’s a book and it has a cross, and the cross is on fire, and the guy has red hair, and all of the internet could not tell me what this book was. Then I go to my mom and she’s like, The Fiery Cross? Which was kind of embarrassing that it was that obvious. So that one, it’s amazing. Since then, I was just reading everything. Did finish that book. Probably shouldn’t have, but it was great.

What are you reading at the moment? 

I am reading By the Horns, by Ruby Dixon. I just finished Bull Moon Rising, which is going to be our book club this weekend for Romantasy Bookclub. I fell in love with it. It was my first ever Romantasy, and I’m hooked. If I can get more that are like this, then I think I might be a Romantasy convert. It is so good. It is spicy, but it’s the story that is good. So I recommend that to anybody that’s okay with a little bit of spice. Well, a lot, a bit of spice but wants like a good story too. 

What is the best book related gift you’ve ever received? 

My sister, she re-bound this book that we bought as a joke. It’s called Get In My Swamp. It’s a Shrek smut book. But she re-bound it, and she gave it to me as a gift, and it was so sweet. I loved it. It looks like a really professional book. It’s so pretty, but, yeah, you wouldn’t know what’s inside.

Last thoughts?

We are always having events. If they are not following us on our social media, they really are missing out. Because I’m always posting not just like fun content on there, but also about our events and the things that we’re doing, we have something, whether it’s a small event or a larger book signing going on every week in October. Specifically, we have one to two authors every single Saturday coming in for book signings, and they’re big names. So we have the author for The Farmhouse coming in Chelsea Conradt. We have Lyra Parish for Fall I Want.  We’re just excited to have the opportunity to bring these authors to our community. 

Check out The Reading Rabbit Bookshop here and follow them on Instagram @ReadingRabbitBookshop

Thank you to Mikayla for taking time to sit down and share this wonderful interview!