When Andi Bailey was laid off from her tech job, she determined to revisit an previous dream: proudly owning a bookstore. Then a 1961 Studebaker Champ turned up on Facebook Marketplace, and an thought bubble popped over her head.
“If I didn’t do this now,” she advised Newport Life Magazine, “I didn’t know when I’d have the opportunity to do it.” In less than a month, Bailey had shelving constructed into the truck mattress, and her cell bookstore, Flatbed Fiction, debuted at Grafik Coffee in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
The truck has since gone viral on TikTok and rolls up at espresso retailers, farms, artisan markets and beachside sundown readings, stocked with romance (Bailey’s favourite), horror and thrillers. Bailey now works remotely 5 days a week and calls the aspect hustle bookstore her “touch-grass” escape.
Despite the success, she isn’t chasing growth targets. “It’s really about popping up where I can, meeting people,” she says.
When Andi Bailey was laid off from her tech job, she determined to revisit an previous dream: proudly owning a bookstore. Then a 1961 Studebaker Champ turned up on Facebook Marketplace, and an thought bubble popped over her head.
“If I didn’t do this now,” she advised Newport Life Magazine, “I didn’t know when I’d have the opportunity to do it.” In less than a month, Bailey had shelving constructed into the truck mattress, and her cell bookstore, Flatbed Fiction, debuted at Grafik Coffee in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
The truck has since gone viral on TikTok and rolls up at espresso retailers, farms, artisan markets and beachside sundown readings, stocked with romance (Bailey’s favourite), horror and thrillers. Bailey now works remotely 5 days a week and calls the aspect hustle bookstore her “touch-grass” escape.
Despite the success, she isn’t chasing growth targets. “It’s really about popping up where I can, meeting people,” she says.