She Ran Out of Books on Vacation. 6 Months Later, She Owned a Bookstore.

What happens when a book-loving mom of two runs out of reading material on vacation? If you’re Kelly Vann, you open a bookstore.

We chat with Kelly, founder of Lit Actually, a romance and fantasy bookshop tucked inside Olive’s Eatery in Baldwinsville, NY.

She walks us through her journey from idea to grand opening in just six months… while working full-time in marketing, raising two kids, and figuring it out as she goes.

From pop-ups and cheeky bookmarks to navigating diversity and community, Kelly spills it all in this episode, including:

• How Kelly took Lit Actually from idea to reality in half a year
• Why she chose a romance/fantasy niche (and why it’s working)
• Tips for planning pop-ups and choosing profitable merch
• The surprising bestseller flying off the shelves (spoiler: it’s NSFW)
• How she's balancing full-time work, family, and small business life
• Her current and all-time fave book recs (dark romance fans, tune in)

Find Lit Actually on social media:

• Instagram.com/lit.actually
• Facebook.com/litactually
• [e-mail]