By Francesca Boston
Our Town Books has been a mainstay on the Jacksonville Square for many years, but for Khristina and Alex Helmich, who became owners of the store last year, it has been a more recent adventure.
The Helmichs celebrated their first anniversary of owning Our Town Books last month and said they can’t believe it has only been a year, but at the same time, it feels very new since they see themselves at OTB indefinitely.
“We did it! We’ve always heard the first few years as a business owner can make or break you. We have learned a lot not just on the business side but in the book industry as well. We’ve gotten a lot of amazing feedback from our customers this year so making it to our business anniversary is icing on the cake, surreal even,” Khristina said.
Within the last year the Helmichs not only hosted new local authors, book fairs and launched a new website, but they also added a new addition to their family.
“Personally, we added a new baby to our family which was wild to do our first year but here we are. We met all of our sales goals, and we made a bunch of upgrades on an already awesome business,” Khristina said.
With family at the core of their business, Khristina said that the hardest but the best part about owning a small business had been balancing family and the bookstore. She said working together has been crucial to doing what they love and making it work.
“We’re glad our kids get to see this side of us and our passions and glad they’re a part of it too. We have also met some amazing people this year through other store owner connections and customers,” Khristina said.
Khristina said she wants people to know that Our Town Books is bigger than a book store, it is a safe place for the entire community.
“I want people to know we are a cozy store to walk around and discover new adventures. We’re a place where everyone can be seen and welcome,” Khristina said.
Khristina said that in 2022, she lost her brother, Brandon Turner, to a battle of addiction and that loss has been a cornerstone for their advocacy within the Jacksonville Community.
She said that they are big supporters of Locust Street Resource Center which is located next door, and Midwest Youth Services and hope to continue to raise money for both organizations when they can.
“Brandon has a shelf in our store where we keep copies of ‘Beautiful Boy,’ a memoir by author David Sheff about his own son’s addiction. We don’t just want our community to be clean, we want to educate them, help them, and help others in our community further that help as well.” Khristina said.
The Helmichs want people to know that supporting the bookstore is supporting more than just their small business. It is supporting local makers who sell handmade bookish items in the store, it is supporting women-owned businesses and it is supporting education within the community.
“Teachers can email us their supplemental reading list materials they want for their classroom. We get them posted to our new website and in-store for our customers to order for the teachers at a 15% discount. Then we let the teacher know when their book is ready for pickup,” Khristina said.
More is in store for the bookstore. Khristina said that they have a new website that will make it more fun and simpler for customers to order books online. She also said continuing to host children’s workshops and local author book signings, as well as expanding events for adults are in the works.
“Our future goals are limitless possibilities. As long as our community keeps shopping here and supporting us, we will keep pushing the limits to make it better and better every visit,” Khristina said.
