DOVER, Del.- Kent County has been without a bookstore for a year since Atlantic Books closed. But two former Atlantic employees are bringing books back to Dover.
Mari Shane is the co-owner of Acorn Books and she felt it was her job to fill the void left behind by the closing of Atlantic Books.
"I would have done this just for my kids, just for my family to be able to come to a bookstore," she said.
"But then when the public reacted and everyone said how much everybody else was going to miss a bookstore, I couldn't not do it."
Shane and her partner Ginny Jewell say they probably wouldn't have been able to open the store without a little help from the Delaware Small Business Credit Initiative.
"Small business books tell you that you need about two years living expenses to get a small business off the ground and we didn't have that," Shane said.
The pair were able to receive a low-interest loan to get the bookstore open. Sen. Tom Carper says the money is a good investment in the community.
"It's a smart use of federal money to help provide a nurturing environment for job creation," Carper said.
Ginny Jewell says the store is focusing on nurturing young minds to develop life-long readers.
"This part matters the most because every bit of the work has been so we can have a bookstore for our kids to grow up in," she said.
