About nine years ago, Katrina Chapman—a mother of four—was shopping for her children's summer reading books to prepare for the upcoming school year. She went to the larger book retailers around town but found a majority of the required reading titles was already sold out.
Chapman spoke with fellow parents and several teachers at her children's school and said she found this was more common than she initially thought. In December 2005, she opened the Book Nook in the New Territory retail area in an effort to bring not only a neighborhood bookstore to the community but more necessary resources to students.
"Basically it started with one school where my children had graduated from," Chapman said. "I tapped into those teachers that I had known for years. I asked if this is something they would want, and they said absolutely."
Today, Chapman's business works with Fort Bend ISD's schools, along with select schools in Lamar Consolidated ISD.
"What we do is stay in contact with the teachers to find out what the students will be reading and get them the titles when they need them," Chapman said.
In addition to offering a comprehensive collection of summer reading materials, new and used books, and gift items, Chapman and her staff have created an environment where local authors can showcase their books and stay in touch with the community. Every other month, the Book Nook aims to bring local authors to the store to meet their fans and participate in book signings, Chapman said.
"We get a lot of requests for local authors to come in and do book signings," she said. "A local author will contact us, and of course we have never turned anyone down. It is very beneficial to them because the big box stores want [bigger authors] who may not come to the Book Nook. However, local, aspiring authors do."
In addition, the Book Nook also takes donations of gently used paperback and hardcover books.
About four years ago, Chapman began a program that donates the proceeds made from donated books to troops in the U.S. military. The business sends care packages with travel-size hygienic products for soldiers on tour along with a collection of reading materials.
Chapman said the busiest times at the Book Nook are about three days before and three days after school starts as last-minute summer reading shoppers search frantically to find the listed titles. In addition to summer reading, the business offers a growing collection of books and gift items for all ages.
"We carry a [range of] genres," she said. "We have so many books that are donated, so our [collection] keeps getting wider and wider. We sell hardbacks that you really can't find anywhere else."
Chapman said that if a customer is searching for a particular book that is not available at her store, her staff will contact a vendor to track down a copy.
"We do a lot of special orders, and we do a lot of research through used book vendors to find titles that people want," she said. "We are definitely customer based."
Working with schools
Summer reading materials are not always easy to come by, as larger retailers often sell out quickly. What started as a partnership with a single campus has grown to include multiple area school districts. Katrina Chapman, owner of The Book Nook, keeps in touch with educators to provide the required book titles to students.
Supporting local authors
The Book Nook hosts dozens of local authors each year. Aspiring writers can showcase their newest book and hear feedback from their readers with book signings, which are typically held every other month.
5022 Hwy. 90, Ste. A Sugar Land 281-265-9886
Hours: Mon. 1–7 p.m., Tue.–Sat. 9:30 a.m.–7 p.m., closed Sunday
