Behind the Bookshelves
Stories, lessons, and the everyday chaos of running a small-town bookstore.
What This Blog Is
This blog lives inside Cozy & Content, our independent bookstore in Franklin, NC. Here, I write about:
- What really happens behind the counter
- What it actually costs to run a store
- Tech experiments and tools I build or break
- The community, events, and oddities that make this job unpredictable
If you’re dreaming of opening a bookstore, running your own small business, or you just love the cozy vibe of indie shops — this is for you.
Jenn
Systems, Tech, and “How Do We Make This Work?”
I’m Jenn — the one keeping the bookstore glued together with caffeine, ADHD, and sheer stubbornness. If it’s behind the scenes, I’m probably running it: the website, the inventory, the app, the bookkeeping, the systems we definitely didn’t start out knowing how to use but learned anyway. I’m the person making sure things run even when everything feels like it shouldn’t.
- Wrangles WooCommerce, Square, and thousands of SKUs without crying (usually)
- Runs events, book clubs, operations, and big-picture planning
- Builds the tech that keeps this store from exploding
- Attempts to keep Stormy & Pumpkin from committing light treason
Samantha
Operations, Merchandising, and Store Vibes
Samantha is the one who makes the store feel like the store. She has the instinct for layout, displays, and what people will actually gravitate toward when they walk in. She’s the calm (and sometimes the chaos) that keeps the day running smoothly, and she’s the person everyone immediately feels comfortable with.
While I’m buried in systems and logistics, Samantha is the one translating ideas into something that works in real life. She catches what I miss, reins in what I overdo, and makes sure Cozy and Content always feels like a place people want to be.
- Runs the daily operations and overall store flow
- Designs displays and merchandising that actually make sense
- Helps guide decisions with practicality instead of my feral optimism
- Creates the atmosphere people remember when they leave
Blog Categories
Bookstore Life: Behind the Counter
Day-to-day stories, customer moments, cat chaos, quiet days, wild days.
Look for posts in the Bookstore Life category.
Small Business Lessons
Money decisions, cash flow, real costs, inventory management, mistakes and fixes.
Look for Small Business Lessons or Behind the Business.
Tech & Tools
WooCommerce, Square, plugins, website building, app development, inventory systems.
Look for Tech & Tools and Experiments.
Events & Community
Book clubs, Brew’d Awakening pop-ups, seasonal projects, community events.
Look for the Events & Community category.
Suggested Starting Posts
As you publish, come back and link your key posts here.
- How Cozy & Content Came to Be →
- What People Don’t Tell You About Opening a Bookstore Coming Soon →
- A Day in the Life of a Small-Town Bookseller Coming Soon →
- How I Balance Retail, E-Commerce, and Events Coming Soon →