![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/booksbeadsmore.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/ahp12081608.png?resize=150%2C150\")
<\/p>\nBy NATALIE MILLER
\nA trip to a local book shop can inspire or calm a reader. Mechanicsville\u2019s Books Beads & More was created from two sisters\u2019 passion for reading, and a need for a creative outlet.
\nDr. Kelly Hagan and her sister Erin Schilling opened Books Beads & More with Hagan\u2019s husband, Greg about five years ago.
\n\u201cWe had always talked about, when we got older we\u2019d open up a used book store,\u201d Hagan said.
\nHagan works at the Virginia Cancer Institute, within walking distance from Books, Beads & More\u2019s location on Bell Creek Road. After years of dedicating long hours to her patients, Hagan decided to find a hobby to unwind.
\n\u201cI was looking for something that would be relaxing and beautiful,\u201d Hagan said.
\nShe discovered an interest in creating jewelry, and began taking classes in the craft.
\n\u201cI made way too much\u2014nobody needs 400 pairs of earrings, so I started giving away my earrings to my patients,\u201d Hagan said.
\nAfter brightening patients\u2019 days with her earrings, Hagan and her sister decided that they could try selling the jewelry at the Tomato Festival. The sales from the festival were so successful that the sisters wanted to sell them in their shop.
\nThe family is actively involved in the all aspects of the shop, from selecting books for the shop to creating the very materials for the jewelry. Hagan\u2019s husband makes lampwork glass beads for her jewelry, crafting animals and festive shapes for the necklaces and earrings.
\n\u201cHow many places have you seen dinosaur bone necklaces? You can find stuff here that you can\u2019t find anywhere else,\u201d Schilling said.
\n\u201cIf you\u2019re a local person and you have something I don\u2019t have and it looks like a good fit, we\u2019ll try it,\u201d Schilling said. \u201cAll the crafts here are all local artists, so when you buy here you are buying local.\u201d
\nThe products are primarily created by Hanover crafters, including some of Hagan\u2019s own patients.
\n\u201cMy patients are so gifted and talented,\u201d she said. \u201cSome patients expressed interest in displaying and selling their own artwork and handmade items at the shop after learning about it.\u201d
\n\u201cA lot of my patients weren\u2019t necessarily able to hold down a full time job and may have been sick\u2026but they were creative and this allowed them to get some extra income.\u201d
\nBooks Beads & More carries locally-made soaps, painted glasses and bottles, and accessories for people of all ages.
\nThe shop owners are all avid readers themselves\u2014the first 2,000 books in the shop even came from the sisters\u2019 home.
\nIf a customer is searching for a specific book that they have been unable to find at any store, the shop owners keep an eye out for the title.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s kind of fun to look for things that people want,\u201d Schilling said.
\nBooks, Beads & More strongly supports Hanover authors, and even has a section devoted to these published residents. Local writers like Joann Meaker, author of Nola\u2019s Gift, have held book signings at the shop as well.
\nLocal author Sheila Talley even included Books, Beads & More in her novel, Ice in the Ville, which is set in Mechanicsville.
\nSchilling said that one of the reasons that the business is successful is that the co-owners genuinely get along.
\n\u201cA lot of people question how we can work with our family, but we like working together,\u201d she said.
\nThe owners acquire their books and DVDs primarily from sales and donations. According to Schilling, donors may receive store credit for their book contributions.
\n\u201cWe have some of the neatest customers,\u201d Schilling said. The shop enjoys its regular readers and shoppers who enjoy browsing the book shelves or finding a unique gift for a loved one.
\n\u201cOnce they come in, they always come back,\u201d she said.
\nSchilling said that Books Beads & More holds several sales during the holiday season, from Thanksgiving through Christmas. The shop also remains open on Sundays during the holiday season for shoppers to find gifts for loved ones, or even to treat themselves.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n