When Heidi Frazier decided to open a bookstore four years ago in Lexington, she imagined giving the tiny community of 1,200 a unique experience. She named her shop 40-Acre Wood.
“I got the name 40-Acre Wood because my home is on 40 acres, and Winnie the Pooh lives in the 100-Acre Wood, so I like to think I’m next door to Pooh,” she says.
The Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative member, who holds a degree in library science, stocks her store mainly with donated, thrift store and liquidated library books. Frazier’s business is built on community service and her love for sharing literature. When she sells inventory from the donated stock, she gives a percentage to a nonprofit organization. “I feel very strongly about that,” she says.
She gives students and homebound seniors free books. She hosts a summer reading club for children, who receive prizes for finishing books. And children always get a free book just for visiting the store. “Ultimately, I’m most concerned about children,” Frazier says. “These days they are so connected to technology, I fear that learning from literature may be lost.
“I have customers come up to me and say, ‘You’re giving away so much, I don’t know how you stay in business,’ and I may not. I’ve just always known that I had to give something back to the world. I want to make it a better place than when I started.”
Learn more about the store on its Facebook page.
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