Paxton, a 2007 graduate of Fort Dodge Senior High School (as Abbey Hanish), has owned and operated the book store in Des Moines for more than two years.

She got her start, humbly enough, in her yard while trying to keep access to books available during the COVID pandemic’s peak in 2020.

“I got the LLC for my business right when things started to shut down during the pandemic,” Paxton said. “My plan was to start it as a side project and do some pop-up events. I hoped some day to turn it into a brick and mortar store, but really had no plans to make that happen.”

Paxton started with a few pop-up events in her yard and eventually in her garage, as the number of people attending continued to rise.

-Submitted photo
Abbey Paxton looks out onto Grand Avenue from her bookstore, Storyhouse Bookpub. The Fort Dodge Senior High graduate celebrated her second anniversary of the bookstore in June.

“Our first event was a book swap in my yard in October of 2020,” she said. “We had a family Halloween event in my yard. Everyone wore masks. It went well. So many people came and swapped books.”

She continued hosting similar events, including an event at Christmas that year, until a neighbor, who happened to be the owner of the successful clothing store RAYGUN, Mike Draper, told her about an open building next to his shop downtown.

“At the time I just laughed. I was newly pregnant and thought there was no way I could do it,” Paxton said. “But when I went to the building and looked around, there was no way I couldn’t see this space filled with books.

“Since then we have been taking it step-by-step. We just celebrated our second anniversary in June. We knocked down a wall and have added about 30 percent more space. It’s been quite a ride.”

The bookstore is located at 505 E. Grand Ave., Suite 102, in downtown Des Moines. It’s open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fridays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Part of the store’s expansion included a section for used books, sourced from local antique shops and more space for fiction books.

Paxton’s shop will also continue to bring in authors for book signings and offer different storytimes for children. She also said she’s going to be working with the Des Moines Public Schools to work with classrooms.

“I just want to be responsive to what Des Moines wants,” she said. “The footprint that I have is where I want to stay. The things I do well, I just want to keep doing better. I am just waiting to see what the future brings next.”

Paxton had a background in the field, managing a bookstore while working in Denver. She started out as an English teacher before moving into the world of independent book stores. Her move to Des Moines allowed her to stoke that passion.

“I am passionate about bringing people together,” she said. “Books offer that element of art that some retail spaces can’t offer. Books are ideas and stories that we have connected to forever.

“I have a huge desire to offer people who consider themselves avid readers a space to gather and to do things readers like to do … get books signed, go to book clubs. Des Moines has been moving forward with that idea. There’s another independent bookstore that opened in Des Moines. We are banding together and working together and the community has responded.”

Paxton said despite all the advances in technology, she can’t ever see a world without books. Nor does she want to see that kind of world.

“I don’t ever want to see a world without books,” she said. “Some people think bookstores are failing and people aren’t reading books, but we are defying that stereotype. I think a community bookstore that is involved in the community matters.”

And being from the Fort Dodge area, Paxton said she was so excited to see Fort Dodge get its own independent bookstore, The Green Dragon Bookshop.

“There are readers everywhere,” she said. “Digital reading has changed the way people talk about it somewhat, but I don’t think people are reading less.”

Paxton’s parents both still live in Badger. She has a brother in Hawaii and a sister in Des Moines as well. She and her husband, Sky, have a son named Jory.