At the time, Mantoura said, several big-box book retailers entered the local market as well. Because of the amount of competition from these national chains, the couple decided to use a buy-back model where customers could sell their used books.

“It made a difference in the type of store we decided to be because we knew we couldn’t go head on with the new book stores,” she said.

About 90 percent of the store’s inventory consists of books Mantoura bought from customers. She said she often reads selections at home before putting them on the sale floor.

Since the age of 3 or 4, Mantoura has enjoyed reading. She said her passion for books is in her blood.

“I come from a reading family,” she said. “In our house—where what other people would’ve called their dining room—my parents put floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and it became a library.”

JEM Books relocated to FM 2351 after about five years because of an increase in rent. Mantoura said when entering the business, rent cost is the most important factor in a bookstore’s success.

Mantoura said JEM Books has every genre imaginable, from religion to sci-fi. While electronic readers have dominated the market recently, she said the demand for physical copies will soon be on the rise again.

“Based on all the research I’ve done, I think the pendulum is going to swing back [toward paper books],” Mantoura said.

JEM Books

4815 FM 2351, Ste. 101 281-996-9918 Hours: Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Sun.