I love seeing all the creativity of people who create bookish swag and merchandise. Christine with Colorado Bookworms has one of my favorite Etsy shops. I use her bookmarks and coffee to-go cup all the time! So I jumped at the chance to let us all get to know her a little better.
Also, you can use the code LOSTINABOOK10 to get 10% off through the end of the year!
Tell me about what you do.
I work in higher education as a Program Director and Professor. My husband and I will be married for 11 years this September and we have 4 kids, 2 boys and 2 girls. We also have our furbaby, Stella the Chocolate Lab, who is regularly featured on my Instagram account on Sundays with Stella!
What inspired you to start your Etsy shop?
ColoradoBookworms is an Asian, female-owned business that came to life in March 2020 amidst the global pandemic, COVID-19. I became actively involved in many book clubs and groups on Facebook and joined the Bookstagram community on Instagram while in quarantine. Along with my love for reading, I was starting to nurture my creativity and use it as a means of self-care. I was making bookmarks one day for a book club event I was hosting and my husband thought I should sell them. I didn’t think anything of it until I posted my final product in a book group online and was getting asked where they could order them. So, I did some research and I reached out to a friend who loved taking photos of landscapes, nature, etc and asked if I could use her photos to create bookmarks. That was when ColoradoBookworms became a reality instead of just a concept! Her photo bookmarks were the first listings on ColoradoBookworms and soon custom orders started to pour in. I created unique custom bookmarks for book clubs, unique baby announcement bookmarks, keepsake bookmarks of family and pets, etc. So many ideas were floating around in my head about what I could create for people that would be fun and unique. I even created face mask necklaces because if we have to wear these masks we might as well accessorize!!! Since then, I have added other bookish accessories to my product line like mugs, wine glasses, tote bags and more!
The camaraderie in the Bookstagram community has been such a wonderful experience and their support for small businesses, especially mine, has been overwhelming! I wanted to create a space where I could provide my fellow bookworms with their bookish essentials and other fun accessories and that is exactly what ColoradoBookworms has done!
What’s one of your favorite items in the shop?
Currently, my favorite item in the shop has to be the bubble mugs and the iridescent wine glasses! The style is very unique and the final product turns out so beautiful!
What’s your all-time favorite book and why?
My all-time favorite book has to be The Shining by Stephen King. I read it for the first time a few years ago for my Halloween themed book and was immersed in the storyline and I loved that it took place in Colorado! Shortly after reading the book my husband and I visited the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO and participated in the Spirited Night Tour which added to the overall experience to the book!
What’s the best book you’ve read this year and why?
Saying that I love books would be an understatement, I’m more obsessed with them!!! I’m open to any genre but this year I really wanted to read more YA, fantasy and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) authors. This resulted in me diving into the world of Sarah J. Maas! I hosted a buddy read on Instagram for A Court of Thorns of Roses in February of this year. I ended up loving the book and extended the buddy read to complete the entire series!
