A new bookstore,
Sunbound Books, recently joined the lineup of local businesses on North Anthony Boulevard. Owner Liz Kelpin says they’ve had a warm welcome from customers, who have anticipated their opening as the only independent bookstore in the city to sell new books.
The store features large windows at the front, which usher in natural light. Shelves and display tables are lined with books that have been selected by Kelpin and are thoughtfully placed into sections spread across the store. Plants from Fuller Plants and Honey Plants cover the spaces not filled by books. The walls feature art for sale from a local artist, which Kelpin says will be changed out regularly.
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Rachel Von Art LLCInside Sunbound Books.At the back, Kelpin has set up a children’s section and customers can shop from a small selection of products, like book accessories, puzzles and stickers, from women-owned, U.S.-based businesses. They also sell branded merch, like tote bags with the store’s log.
The atmosphere is warm and cozy– a reflection of the store’s name. Their mission is to create a space for women's and children’s stories and interests. That goal is in part based on Kelpin’s own experience after having two children.
“You lose so much of your own identity in those few short years and then gaining it back is a weird experience,” she explains.
Setting aside time to do something just for herself, such as reading, made all the difference for Kelpin, when it came to rediscovering her own identity.
“I feel like so much of that, for me, happened through reading and being able to say like I'm just gonna do this for me,” she says.
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Rachel Von Art LLCLiz Kelpin, owner of Sunbound BooksKelpin had a history with literature before she was a mom. She attended DePauw University, where she studied English and political science. After that, she worked for Wiley Publishing, first in sales and then in marketing, which she says wasn’t the right fit for her.
“I kind of realized that I liked just being a lot closer to the actual books and finding books that people like reading, books that I liked reading, recommending books, but it still felt like a dream to make that my full-time job,” she says of her work at the publishing company.
She joined the troves of Americans who gave
print books their best sales year of the decade in 2020 and increased the average time spent reading by 21 percent from 2019 to 2020. Online trends like
“BookTok” and “Bookstagram” helped create communities on TikTok and Instagram where readers could share their book reviews and recommendations.
“Building that community felt very cool and it was interesting that you have to have the physical book for the whole social media thing to show, you know? Here's my book stack. Here's my shelf. So that part of it was interesting to me,” Kelpin says.
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Rachel Von Art LLCGrace Allison, employee at Sunbound Books, flips the pages of a book.The inspiration to read more left Kelpin longing for the opportunity to spend a Sunday afternoon strolling through a bookstore, discovering a new author or book– one of her favorite things to do when given the opportunity. Fort Wayne is home to
Hyde Brothers Booksellers, a store in the Wells Corridor that sells used books, of which Kelpin says she’s a fan, but otherwise, Fort Wayne lacked the opportunity to shop for new books at an independent, locally-owned store.
She decided to consult with a small business advisor from
the Small Business Development Center located on the Purdue Fort Wayne campus about the possibility of opening a bookstore. She says she went in with the mindset, “If I did this, not saying I will, but if I did, you know, what would it look like?”
“People were waiting for this, and I really felt for a long time– is no one else going to do this?” Kelpin says. “I kept waiting for someone else to open a bookstore and no one did, so I guess I will.”
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Rachel Von Art LLCClose up of books at the new book store Sunbound Books.Around the same time, a retail space on North Anthony Boulevard across from The Garden became available. As it was being remodeled they were searching for an occupant that would be community-minded and help increase foot traffic for other businesses located on that stretch like Firefly Coffee House, Old Crown Coffee Roasters and Wooden Nickel Records.
“They were really wanting something to be here that would align with that kind of mission and so that was in March, and then I was like, ‘I guess I'm opening a bookstore,’” Kelpin says.
The neighborhood was a great fit for Kelpin, who grew up around the area and now lives just a short distance from the bookstore.
As with most entrepreneurs, Kelpin had a lot to learn before she could open the doors to her bookstore, but her previous experience in marketing helped. Kelpin’s dad is also the franchise owner of a local Chick-fil-A, where she worked and assisted with catering and community partnerships. She says that work has been helpful as she works to build relationships with area businesses, schools and organizations.
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Rachel Von Art LLCThe children's section at Sunbound Books.To help develop her bookstore concept, Kelpin visited independent bookstores in nearby cities like Indianapolis, Chicago, Grand Rapids, Michigan and Kalamazoo, Michigan, all of which have numerous independent bookstores. On her visits Kelpin asked herself, and sometimes the store owners, what was or wasn’t working about the shop and what set them apart from larger retail stores.
She also had to learn the specifics of being a book-selling business, for which she took an educational course, and connected with a publisher. Kelpin was able to form a relationship with Ingram Book Company, which has a warehouse in Fort Wayne. She says this helps with ordering and having stock readily available for customers.
The final chapter of her preparations was bringing her bookstore vision to life– painting walls, laying flooring, building shelves and displays, and finding the right collection of books. When it came down to it, Kelpin says she felt she could only pull from her own experience as a woman and a mom for the niche of her store and the content on the shelves.
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Rachel Von Art LLCLiz Kelpin arranges books on a shelf at her bookstore, Sunbound Books.“Coming out of college as an English major, I read a lot of books by straight white men and I kind of felt like, I've done that now. There’s still some I love. I get that perspective– not that I’ve read all of them.” she says. “But it was really important for me to find out how can I travel, as a woman, through reading perspectives of people who I never would meet in person, whose life stories I would never be able to experience. That was really important for the books I was reading then and now being able to stock them.”
She says she can only hope there are people out there who are interested in that perspective So far, the community has been showing their support for her store.
“I feel like I have imposter syndrome a lot but the response from the community has been amazing and that keeps giving me the confirmation that this is something that people want,” Kelpin says.
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Rachel Von Art LLCOwner Liz Kelpin and Employee Grace Allison work on a display at Sunbound Books.As they settle into business, customers can expect themed book clubs, talks or workshops from area authors, book release parties and other book-related programming that has largely been absent from Fort Wayne.
Sunbound Books is open on Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. and on Sundays from noon until 4 p.m. For Kelpin’s book recommendations, check out the “Liz’s Pick” table at the front of the store.
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Rachel Von Art LLCA display showing Owner Liz Kelpin's picks.