While The House of Elements did not initially attract much local attention, Skiles pushed A House of Books out in the community, starting an event at Georgetown Township Library. That’s when she created A House of Books, to sell those valuable books - the most valuable she found is a signed Hellen Keller book - and then selling others for paper crafting, junk journaling and scrapbooking. Signed and first edition books pop up regularly.
#THOUSANDS OF STACKS OF BOOKS FULL#
With up to 12 pallets full of books, it can take up to six months to sort through them. “We research every book that comes in to make sure we’re not destroying something valuable.” “We were coming across some not in good enough condition to sell for home décor, maybe because of water damage, missing cover or the spine was broken. We’d buy a huge quantity, and we’d have to sort them,” she said. Now, they come in by semi-truck on pallets. Early in the business, she would buy books at estate or library sales. That sector accounts for about 90% of the overall business.īut there was some spillover, Skiles said. The majority of The House of Elements’ customers are in California, Texas and New York, with boxes of books shipped to interior designers and, some, direct to customers. The business was strictly online, with Skiles never really working to develop a local following. I took the leap and started full time working out of my house and now in the warehouse.” “Eventually, it came to the point it would replace my income and be sustainable. “It started in my basement, then filled into the garage and I was doing it as I was working full time. “It was strictly the books, those were the best sellers and best margins because they were so easy to find with people getting rid of books,” Skiles said. Surprised, Skiles decided to put some effort into the side gig and offered a few of the books on Etsy. The books, as it turned out, began selling like crazy.
Soon, Skiles was helping accessorize the booth, finding vintage vases and books to fill it out. “Eight years ago, if you told me I’d be selling books for a living, I’d say you were crazy,” said Skiles, who originally went to school looking for a fine arts degree before switching to marketing.īut while working in health care administration, her sister started making farmhouse furniture and selling it.
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