Mobile bookstore brings books and community to Denham Springs
Two longtime friends turn nearly 20-year bond into a bookstore on wheels
DENHAM SPRINGS, La. (WAFB) - Two mothers and longtime friends have turned a late-night text message into a mobile bookstore serving Denham Springs and the surrounding areas.
Courtney DeGraw and Nikki Rowland, who met on the first day of their senior year of high school, are the owners of Chapter Twenty — a bookstore built inside an 8-by-20 race car trailer.
From TikTok to trailer
The idea came after DeGraw saw someone in another part of the country launch their own mobile bookstore on TikTok.
“I messaged her one night and was like do you wanna do this with me? And I said I looked at my husband and said can we do it? He said sure let’s do it. It was overnight,” DeGraw said.
The two found the trailer on Facebook Marketplace. DeGraw’s husband helped gut the interior and build out the shelves, flooring, and a custom door.
Inside the store
The trailer carries shelves stocked with historical fiction, romance, fantasy, and mystery thriller, which DeGraw described as “our biggest genre.” A children’s section is also inside.
“This is our children’s section. We love having the kids come in and grab a book and read while their mommas and daddy’s shop,” DeGraw said.
Despite the rise of e-readers, the owners said the physical book experience remains central to what they offer.
“There’s just something about holding a physical book in your hand… the smell, the feel,” DeGraw said.
Community focus
Rowland said the business was built with community partnerships in mind.
“We wanted to be able to venture all around and partner with locally owned and small businesses,” Rowland said. “We love to bring attention to other smaller businesses. And it is paid back in our favor because those same small businesses have promoted us.”
Chapter Twenty appears at community events and local markets across the area and is available to book for private events. The owners also run a book club.
“We have a book club. Last month, we had 37 people show up, all ages and all very different personalities. It is the best,” Rowland said.
Rowland noted the business name is a nod to their nearly two-decade friendship.
“We’re almost at 20 years of friendship, so this is our next chapter,” Rowland said.
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