The Paper Hare Books, an indie book truck based in St. Augustine and Jacksonville, recently celebrated two months of business. This unique, mobile bookstore can be found at local businesses like coffee shops on weekends for pop-ups. The owner, Carla Thompson, said the book truck has been a great opportunity for her to share her love of books with the community and allows for flexibility as she balances being a busy mom and business owner.
Thompson said the process of building the book truck, affectionately known as Junie, began with purchasing a Kei truck, a Japanese micro-utililty truck, from a local seller in Jacksonville. The next step was having the truck painted a sage green and adding their logo.
Thompson’s husband constructed the shelves for the books in their garage. The books are secured in the shelves for transport and the rest of the merchandise is stored in a middle compartment to keep them from getting damaged during travel.
Thompson also purchased a waterproof cover on the top of the truck in case of rain. Pop-ups usually take place in the morning due to the summer heat and afternoon downpours.
The Paper Hare Books officially opened on April 25, Independent Bookstore Day. Thompson said she is grateful for how much the local book community has shown its support. She has enjoyed partnering with local businesses and talking about books all day with customers.
The mobile bookstore is full of curated fiction books in a variety of genres including fantasy, romance, thriller, mystery and young adult. They are hoping to add children’s books in the near future as well. The mobile bookstore features a fun wall of book-related merchandise including bookmarks, tote bags and stickers.
The Paper Hare Books is Latina-owned, and Thompson said the diversity of the bookstore is very important to her. The Paper Hare Books represents all ethnicities, she said. It is a place where all people can feel represented and welcome.
Thompson said one of her favorite aspects of the business is the ability to run it with her family. Her children get to see her working hard and learn about the ins and outs of running a business.
To learn more about The Paper Hare Books and stay up to date on pop-up events, see their Instagram page @thepaperharebooks or follow them on Facebook.
