About Us

Avid Bookshop is a fiercely independent, community-focused bookselling business headquartered in Athens, Georgia. We have a bookstore at 1662 S. Lumpkin St. in Athens's Five Points neighborhood, plus we serve readers nationwide with our full-service webstore at avidbookshop.com. In fall 2018, Avid Bookshop was chosen as the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year. Founded by Janet Geddis, Avid has been named by Flagpole readers as Athens' Favorite Local Business for nine years in a row! We've also been named as Favorite Uniquely Athens Business and a favorite destination to buy gifts. In 2017, Avid was named a top-five finalist in Publishers Weekly's Bookstore of the Year competition, and Janet was named an Ambassador for Athensmade, a local group with the mission of “amplifying brands, attracting talent.” Avid Bookshop has been on the Bulldog 100 list three years in a row—this distinction indicates that Avid is one of the fastest-growing businesses owned/run by a University of Georgia alumna/alumnus. We've been in three documentary features as well as multiple magazines and newspapers large and small. 

While we focus on supporting the local community both culturally and economically, Avid is also very active in regional and nationwide organizations such as the American Booksellers Association, the Independent Booksellers Consortium, and the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. 

As the country has become more fraught, Avid booksellers have become more outspoken about standing up for human rights, equality, and the freedom to read. We are a safe space and are proud to serve those here in Athens, Georgia and our website customers nationwide. We firmly believe that books change readers’ lives for the better, and that belief influences everything we do at Avid Bookshop, from our curated collection to our events calendar to the books we put in customers' hands. In recent years, we have doubled-down on this philosophy and are more committed than ever to sharing diverse voices with our customers


Please drop by our charming store (or browse online!) to find the perfect book or lovely gift item. Our bookshop is staffed by enthusiastic, well-read booksellers who are eager to help you find just what you need (or to leave you to browse quietly if you're not in the mood to chat). 

Avid Bookshop is an ethically run business with a strong focus on community engagement. We continually challenge ourselves, trying to figure out creative ways to make our city better through our #avidgivesback and #avidinschools initiatives, activism, authorless events, book fairs, free author readings, partnerships, book clubs, and more. 

We stay true to the “buy local first” mantra, choosing to support independent, locally-owned businesses for supplies whenever possible and opting to work with highly-rated, ethically sound national businesses when a local option isn't available. When it comes to buying local first, we really do practice what we preach.  

Hannah DeCamp
buyer
 
business owner & founder
 
Luis Correa
operations manager, full-time bookseller, book club moderator
 
Rachel Watkins
director of operations & events, subscriptions manager, bookseller, book club moderator
 
Ian McCord
full-time bookseller
 
Mikey LaFave
full-time bookseller, book club moderator
 
Shae Jordan
full-time bookseller, book club moderator