“I’ve always wanted to open a bookstore,” Theroux said. “When I came out of high school and was going into college, bookstores were kind of on a downward trend.”

She said for a while, opening a bookstore just wasn’t a feasible business option, so she went the academic route and got her undergraduate and graduate degrees and found work. But then COVID happened.

“During COVID, everyone, I think, in some ways reassessed their priorities,” Theroux said. “And I decided that now would be a good time because I had the money to be able to open up a small shop without taking out a lot of debt.”

The Green Dragon Bookshop officially opened June 1, at 9 N. 11th St., next to Yummy Crumb Bakery.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority, left, visits with CoriAnn Theroux, owner of the Green Dragon Bookshop during a visit to Fort Dodge on July 28.

“It’s been wonderful,” Theroux said. “I was concerned because I do specialize in sci-fi, fantasy and horror for all ages, so I was concerned I might not have a lot of customers just due to the specialty of the shop.”

Though the bookshop specializes in those genres, customers can find other genres on the shelves like murder mysteries and the classics, as well as some rare books. Theroux is also a member of the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association and Indie Bound, and can special order books on her customers’ wishlists.

“I’ve had a few teachers have large-scale orders for their classrooms,” she said.

Fitting with the sci-fi and fantasy theme, the bookshop is named after the Green Dragon Inn of Tolkien’s fantasy world in “The Lord of the Rings” epics.

When opening a store in downtown Fort Dodge, Theroux wanted to keep in mind the customers she’ll have and took into account the socioeconomic demographics of the area.

“I honestly believe that everybody deserves a book to read,” she said. “A brand new hardcopy is almost $30 these days, and that’s not in a lot of people’s budgets.”

With a few exceptions, Theroux stocks mostly less-expensive paperback copies of books, and she sells both new and used books to keep them at a reasonable price for customers.

Theroux is still learning the ins and outs of running a business, but she does have some plans for the future, including collaborating with other local businesses for events and partnering with area book clubs.

“I’d really like to bring books more to the community besides just them walking into the shop,” she said. “More community outreach programs will be my goal for next year.”