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Krystal Stewart, The Book Burrow-Downtown Lebanon
I thought I had to leave to make it. I was wrong.
I moved to Lebanon in eighth grade, and it was a total culture shock. We’d been in Springfield, and before that, Seymour, but Lebanon felt small. Everybody knew everybody. I didn’t love it at first. I made a friend, and then she moved away. That pretty much sums up middle school for me.
After high school, I moved around – South Carolina, Kansas City, California. I got married, had a daughter, and started a new life. But I hated California. I was far from everyone I knew, and deep down, I knew I’d need help raising my daughter. So I came home.
My family was still in Lebanon, so I packed us up and came back. It wasn’t an easy decision. Honestly, I didn’t love Lebanon at that point. Coming back felt like a step backward, like I was giving up on something. But the moment I had people around me again – people who knew me, who loved my daughter, who showed up – it changed everything.
It didn’t happen overnight, but Lebanon started to feel different. Softer. Safer. Like somewhere I could rebuild, not just survive. It’s where I started over. It’s where I healed. And now? It’s home. Deeply, truly, this-is-where-my-roots-are kind of home.
I met Courtney in hair school. Well, “met” is generous. We hated each other. She thought I was mean. I thought she was rude. I think I hated her more. But by the end of school, we discovered we both loved Harry Potter. Then Twilight. We reconnected over books, and suddenly we weren’t just tolerating each other. We were best friends. Books did that.
We started doing hair together in 2012. We’ve been in the same salon for years, side by side, through marriages, divorces, kids, life. And for the longest time, we joked about opening a bookstore. Wouldn’t it be cool?
Everywhere we traveled, we’d visit indie bookstores. We knew what we wanted ours to feel like. Cozy, fun, a little quirky, full of personality. And one day, we just decided to do it.
We told our husbands, “We don’t care if we don’t make money. We just want to do this.” They were skeptical. “Do you know how many books you’d have to sell to break even?” they said.
We almost did it on day one.
The grand opening was wild. We ran out of bags. We were slammed. We kept thinking it was a fluke, but people kept showing up. Asking for recommendations. Ordering through us instead of online. Telling us they wanted to support something local.
Turns out, a bookstore can work in downtown Lebanon. Especially now. Ten years ago, it wouldn’t have. But downtown has grown. And we get to be part of that.
I’m not always a people person, but something changes when someone walks in and we start talking about books. Especially when they read something we’re obsessed with and come back just as obsessed. It’s not just a transaction. It’s a connection.
This bookstore came from our friendship. From the books that kept us close even when we were in different cities and different stages of life. It’s full circle now. We’re in it together. Yin and yang. Dreamer and reality check. Book nerds with tattoos to prove it. This bookstore that just feels like our next chapter.
We built something here. Something that’s not just ours. It’s the community’s too. And that’s the best part of all.
Krystal Stewart, The Book Burrow-Downtown Lebanon
