RICHMOND, Ind. – The Two Sisters: Books & More is a local bookstore in Richmond that was started from a lifelong dream.

 The store, which opened in late September 2012, is the creation of sisters Kate and Patty Glen. The two had imagined owning a bookstore since they were children. The dream finally took shape one summer when Patty had just graduated from college and Kate was on summer break from her teaching job. A space became available along Fort Wayne Avenue, and the timing felt right.

“The words we most often hear people use are ‘peaceful’ and ‘quaint.’ We try to keep the shop a calming place with an old-world vibe,” said Patty Glen, in an email.

Kate and Patty come from a family of readers, with planned family reading time becoming the norm growing up. While operating the store, the two also have careers outside of the bookstore. Kate received an English degree with a Master of Arts Administration. She currently works at the Boys and Girls Club. Patty majored in anthropology and classical studies before becoming a field archaeologist. She now works as a Corporate Safety Coordinator.

The bookstore is designed around what they dreamed of when they were younger, with nods to historic eras, favorite books and characters, and comfy seating areas. They self-built the bookshelves and designed them strategically to be like a maze.

“For us, a bookshop is a place where you go to wander around in search of books, and we wanted to encourage and reward that kind of shopping,” Patty said.

Kate suggested the store’s name to reflect their shared ownership. The shop’s logo is a design based on how a family friend remembers the sisters as children.

Kate, the elder sister, is also a published author. Two of her books, The Misadventures of Martin Hathaway and its sequel Shipwrecked Off Heramathea's Cove, were even adapted into plays by the Earlham College Theatre Department and performed at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Two Sisters features a wide variety of books. Patty said it’s the bookstore’s mission to get people the books they need, and they will make special orders if they do not have a specific title in stock.

The bookstore occasionally hosts reading challenges and seasonally offers tea that is themed around books and authors. Its back room is also available for public reservations, making it a space for meetings, study sessions, or quiet gatherings.

Patty added that keeping books affordable is part of their mission, too. The store offers discounts for students and tries to keep pricing affordable.

When asked about the bookstore’s role in the community, Patty Glen said it is a community hub where people can slow down for a while and connect with the lives of others, whether that’s real or fictional.

“It’s a place that allows you to curate your own collection of knowledge, resulting in a personal library as unique as the individual doing the collecting,” Patty said.

In describing the local reading culture, Patty used the word “eclectic.”

“It means we have to find as wide a variety of topics to have on the shelves as we can. It’s not so much changes over the years that we’ve noticed, but rather there is definitely a seasonal aspect to which genres of books are being sold,” Patty said.

She noted that the demand often shifts around events like school breaks or summer travel.

Kate and Patty are planning to host an annual Burns’ Night, a celebration honoring Scottish national poet Robert Burns. They are also working on an education section for homeschoolers and participate in the Wayne County Book Crawl in October.