How The
Novel Spot came to be
Created in 2024 by Pecatonica local, Emily Gibson, The Novel Spot was a far fetched dream in the back of her head.
​
Emily has always enjoyed reading books in her spare time. She became truly passionate about it later in High School through the library's Lincoln award book reading challenge. Two books away from completing that challenge, it invigorated her to continue challenging herself by setting a yearly goal in a reading tracker app.
Her primary interests are romance and fantasy genres, however Emily occasionally ventures into some mystery or thriller novels. Emily prefers reading fiction books because she strongly believes that books are a beautiful way to cultivate a person's imagination and gain perspective, no matter where you come from, or how old or young you are. She wanted to create a bookstore to share her love of reading with the community.
In January, she decided to put a poll on Pecatonica's community Facebook page to gauge the potential interest for a bookstore in the small town. The poll brought in a resounding 300 votes, with about 80% voting yes. Emily was blown away by the response and immediately got to work to make it happen!
​
Emily consulted her trusted friends and family to gather their advice and wisdom for starting and running a business. Their advice included making a business plan and taking notes on what her goals were. When it came time to ask the bank for a startup loan, Emily was turned down since she had nothing to offer the bank as collateral. But she didn't let that stop her from making her dream happen. Remembering that she could take a loan out from her 401k through her full time job, Emily thought there was no better way to believe in herself and her vision than to be investing in herself.
After the struggle of finding a loan, a store front location in downtown Pecatonica became available. In four short months from the initial idea, Emily was successful in opening a charming small town bookstore complete with new and used books for all ages. None of it would have been possible without her support system of friends and family, especially her parents.
She looks forward to seeing new and familiar faces in the store everyday and hopes to continue improving and expanding the selection!
​
Don't forget to say "Hi!" to the sweet and friendly shop dog, Waldo!
