Beloved Midlothian bookstore turns 40
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Midlothian Book Exchange is at 13198 Midlothian Turnpike. Image: Courtesy of Midlothian Book Exchange
Midlothian Book Exchange is celebrating 40 years in business this month.
Why it matters: Forty years is a lifetime for a small businesses, especially one that's proudly non-digital in our ever-growing digital world.
State of play: The indie bookstore is helmed by mother-daughter team Dorryce Rudd and Caroline Davidson.
- They took it over in fall 2020 when Martha Graydon, the daughter of the original owners who opened the store, was ready to retire.
- Graydon had a catch, though.
- She was willing to part with the store her mother founded in March 1986 as long as the new owners promised to keep the store analog — and not sell books online, per The Richmonder.
The duo agreed. Today, the Chesterfield bookstore is still going strong, offering more than 175,000 titles across its 7,200 square feet.
- And it still specializes in gently used books for readers of all ages.
- The store is celebrating all year with reading challenges, book club meetings and free totes on the fifth Saturday of the month, so four times this year.
What they're saying: "It was a leap of faith, but we believed strongly in the bookstore, its role in the community and the enduring power of print books," Davidson said in a statement.
💬 Karri's thought bubble: I'm an avid reader today partly due to the Midlothian Book Exchange, which took all my "The Baby-Sitters Club" and "Sweet Valley High" books when I was a tween and gave me store credit, which amounted to years of free books for me.