Late last year, Columbus welcomed a new bookstore, Columbus Bound Books. If local college students ever find themselves wanting to curl up with a good book on a rainy day, this bookstore offers many different genres to satisfy their needs.
The owner, Khristina Gallagher, was kind enough to sit down for an interview with The Uproar.
SMITH: What is your connection here to Colga?
GALLAGHER: I grew up in Columbus! I moved away for college and spent 20 years away before moving back to be closer to family in 2021.
SMITH: What made you want to open a bookstore specifically?
GALLAGHER: I have always loved reading! While living outside Columbus, I always enjoyed local bookstores in the cities I lived in. I especially missed my previous town’s bookstore upon returning to Columbus. After doing a lot of research, I figured out we could just open one here. So I did!
SMITH: Just from your social media page, it’s obvious you have a lot of events customers can attend, from children to adults. What are some of the upcoming ones you’re really excited about?
GALLAGHER: Thank you for calling out our social pages! They are the best way to see what we have coming up.
We have Story Time with Grammy Trish weekly on Wednesday at 11 a.m. and the first Saturday of the month at 11 a.m.. Grammy Trish is my mom, a local retired elementary-school teacher and a lover of children’s books. It’s a sweet time each week to be with my mom doing something she loves.
Later in February, we are partnering with the National Endowment of the Arts’ Big Read [a collection of works endorsed by the group that inspires important conversations] and CSU’s Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians to sell books during the McCullers Literary Festival. We’ll be at the Riverside Theatre at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21 and again on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 10 a.m. The Saturday event features Tayari Jones, who will discuss her novel Silver Sparrow. I’m a huge fan of her book “American Marriage” and am excited that this event is coming to Columbus! Free, open to the public.
A behind the scenes peek at an event I’ve been dreaming about since before we opened, we’ll be hosting a tea party in the store in March with a Jane Austen theme! More details to come; watch our socials.
SMITH: From your website, it states that you offer a book club. Can you tell me more about that?
GALLAGHER: Yes! We began offering two book clubs a month before the store even opened. I’m delighted that they are both usually completely booked with about 10 people in attendance. Our “New Release club” focuses on a book that has been released within the last 12 months and skips from genre to genre. Our “Paperback club” is a, shocker, paperback book and tends to be historical fiction or light romance, although not always. Both clubs meet once a month in the store from 6-7 after we close. Book club dates and selections are shared on our social media channels every month and our website. To learn more, people can email us at info@columbusbound.com.
SMITH: I’ve noticed from looking around your bookstore that you offer some more varied selections than the average bookstore. Can you tell me how you select books to showcase in your store?
GALLAGHER: Thank you! We wanted to create a store where lots of different readers could find themselves represented on our shelves. We continue to look at diverse new publications as we seek new titles to delight readers. We also take recommendations from customers.
SMITH: According to the Pew Research Center, around a quarter of Americans have not read a book in the past 12 months. What would you say to those who want to start reading again, but are a bit intimidated about getting back into that habit?
GALLAGHER: First, that means 75% of Americans have read a book in the past year; that’s incredible! I would say to aspiring readers: There is literally a book out there for everything. Do you like adventure, mythical creatures, romance, exercise, nature, creating space to breathe — there’s a book for that. And we’d be happy to pair you with just the right book here at Columbus Bound Bookshop.
Columbus Bound Books is located at 1328 13th Street Suite 3. The store is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays to Saturdays. More information about their events can be found on their website, columbusbound.com, or on their Instagram, @columbusbound.
