WORDS Tara Crutchfield
PHOTOGRAPH Amy Sexson
Little Bus Books In his 2000 memoir, “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft,” Stephen King calls books a “uniquely portable magic.” It seems only fitting to purchase such ‘portable magic’ in a bookshop of the same vein – perhaps we’ll call it ‘uniquely mobile magic.’ Little Bus Books is a mobile bookshop offering new and used books for middle grades, young adults, and adults. The family-owned and operated shop aims to provide “curated book selections based on broadening cultural perspectives through customers’ existing interests.”
Inside, the vintage camper gives way to a cozy book nook with a selection of reads curated by Lynsey Pippen. Though they love books, the Pippens wouldn’t describe themselves as voracious readers. “I think that helped to build our brand,” Lynsey said. “Everyone assumes that every bookseller reads every book they have in their bookstore.” That’s a lot of pressure for a wouldbe reader to ask some all-knowing word-wizard for a book recommendation. Little Bus Books makes the experience less intimidating with its smaller, tightly-curated offerings. Lynsey notes Little Bus Books isn’t for the “avid reader who knows exactly what they want to read.” She said, “We like to think of ourselves as helping you find the book you didn’t know you needed.”
Michael and Lynsey Pippen met in college at Louisiana Tech University. After college, the two married and settled in Ruston, Louisiana. Five years ago, Michael’s job brought them to Florida, where he is now Director of Business Development for a global irrigation manufacturer. Lynsey is a speech therapist and special educator. She earned her doctorate in special education and taught at the college level before moving to the Sunshine State. When the Pippens adopted their sons, Nolan, age 12, and Luke, 13, ten years ago, she took her speech therapy online, where she continued to teach until last January.
“I don’t know how she does it,” Michael said in awe of his wife. “Lynsey has a great style and a great eye.” Though he knew her vision for the bus would be a hit – both the style and substance – he wondered how and where they would find the right books for their selection, thinking a vast knowledge of books and literature was a must. “I don’t think that’s the case anymore,” he said. Curation soon revealed itself to be another of Lynsey’s gifts. Michael described Lynsey as a creative who enjoys being around people. “We’re not artists by any stretch of the imagination, but she has a very good eye for it,” he said. “That’s translated to the books, one hundred percent. She knows what people like.”
Moving to Lakeland, the Pippens liked the electricity crackling within the local small business scene and had in mind to be further immersed in it. “We had this idea of how we wanted to be a part of the community but didn’t really have a good business to do it with,” Michael said.
“One of the biggest challenges is determining our audience before we get to the market,” said Lynsey. By frequenting markets like the Lakeland Downtown Farmers Curb Market, Bandit Market, Winter Haven Farmers Market, and Buena Market, the Pippens are learning what their customers like to read. Lynsey notes that determining eye-catching covers and riveting reads suited to her local customer base is ‘a fun challenge.’
The Pippens have always loved going to bookstores, especially on vacation when they could spend hours perusing the shelves. Each year, the couple travels to a different state to celebrate their anniversary – a tradition they’ve dubbed “50 states in 50 years.” During a 2020 trip to Kansas, their mobile bookshop dream began to take shape. A bookstore seemed a communitycentered endeavor that could forge the connections they were looking to make. “On the way home and over the next six months, we would just write down ideas, but never thinking, ‘this year,’” Lynsey said. As fate (and a call to the farmers market) would have it, Little Bus Books would indeed start within a year.
Vacation was the only time the pair could spend hours browsing bookshelves for the perfect read. Everyday life didn’t afford them that. “That’s how we developed the Little Bus on a smaller scale, being more intentional about what we put in the bus rather than just having lots of books for people to dig through,” Lynsey said. Little Bus Books was developed with farmers markets and community events in mind. The Pippens aim not to overwhelm their customers with a daunting selection of books but to curate some 40-60 books and help steer customers toward texts most suited to their reading tastes. And for those who do like to dig through books, Lynsey welcomes them to rifle through the Little Bus Books cabinets and crannies, where they house inventory.
BROADENING CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES Little Bus Books debuted on May 1, 2021, at the Lakeland Downtown Farmers Curb Market. “We started with a tent and a table and some of our favorite books,” Lynsey said. Friends and family donated books and came to shop to support Little Bus Books. “We said, ‘It’ll be a success when the first stranger buys a book,’” said Lynsey, who remains friends with that ‘first stranger.’
Upon first inspection of Little Bus Books, one will notice the variety – new and used, fiction and nonfiction, genre, author, origin, and publication date. “That’s an intentional piece of the business, too,” Michael said. “We want to have everybody represented there. […] We’re trying to broaden cultural perspectives.”
The mobile bookshop didn’t go on wheels until last October. They began looking for the perfect ‘bus’ to house Little Bus Books last summer when they stumbled upon a 1953 VaKaShunette camper trailer. “We were glad we did tent to table so we could figure out what fit best in the market spot,” said Lynsey. Michael agreed that they now had proof of concept and described selling out of the bus as “almost like a light switch came on.” Lynsey credits Michael, who has his M.B.A., with helping to get Little Bus Books off the ground, or rather, on the road. “His knowledge was the reason we were able to set up the business so quickly,” she said.
Michael used a book on hiking as an example of how they may help someone select a title within their tastes but perhaps outside of what they’re used to reading. “What is like that, but maybe the characters are a little different, or the author has a little different background, so she writes with a different perspective?” That doesn’t mean they don’t have a few good lazy beach reads - CONTINUED ON PAGE 30 -
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