In many ways, The Bookworm Shop is every retired educator's dream. Owner Sandi Petty, who opened the store six years ago after retiring from Katy ISD, now has an excuse to collect the books she loves and, meanwhile, helps connect customers and the students she tutors, with the written word.

"I loved being a teacher, and I knew I could only retire if I found something that I loved to do just as much," Petty said.

The shop, located in the Villagio Town Center on Westheimer Parkway, is large enough to carry a healthy stock of titles that rotates frequently, largely by patrons who bring in their books to sell or trade. Yet the antique red couch and other sitting areas give the intimacy every bookstore needs.

"My husband encouraged me to delve into this passion for reading by opening a shop as I had always dreamed about but never had the right time for, and it went from there," Petty said.

Like many longtime teachers, Petty's retirement from the classroom does not mean a retirement from educating. She tutors students in kindergarten through fifth grade in the afternoons during the school year and during the day in the summer. In doing so, she is able to pull from her experience as a reading specialist in utilizing certain assessments and educational strategies.

"I try to take them as far as I can," Petty said. "Reading is an important skill and can be a lifelong passion, and I love helping them develop into little bookworms."

In her work tutoring young readers, she said that her best advice to them is something she would actually tell anyone who came to the shop.

"The store's motto is 'reading lasts a lifetime,'" Petty said. "Reading is the most important thing you can learn to do because without it, you really can't learn any other subject. It is not only a survival skill but also one of the greatest forms of pleasure."

The shop carries books for adults and children, non-fiction and fiction alike. Petty's favorite is the historical section, particularly historical fiction about the Civil War era. Some of the books in the inventory are brand new, including new releases and special series. About 90 percent of the books are used and were bought from patrons or traded for store credit.

Whatever customers come in searching for though, Petty said the shop is 'hidden treasure.' Visitors never know what titles they may find hiding among the stacks.

The shop also hosts author talks, book signings, two book clubs, preschool story hour and participates in World Book Night, a program that helps get books into the hands of people who might not have access to reading resources. The outreach efforts lend an additional dimension to the work for Petty and her team of five who she describes as "avid readers."

"I have a fantastic staff and they are all absolutely and completely dedicated to helping people continue and develop an interest and passion for reading," Petty said.

This sentiment is echoed in the bronze statue in one of the shop's entryways. Two children, a little girl and a little boy who is a few years younger, are sitting on a bench reading a book. Petty found the statue in an antiques store. All the little kids that come into the shop love to sit down next to it, she said.

"I just love that it looks like he is reading to her and she's listening and coaching him," Petty said.

Tutoring

Petty, who has a background as a reading specialist, also offers tutoring in reading skills for elementary age students as well as reading readiness for pre-schoolers.

22764 Westheimer Parkway, Katy, 281-693-7323, www.bookwormshop.net