COPPERAS COVE, Texas — Opening a book store has always been a dream for Mario Vasquez as he and his siblings grew up reading books.
While living in Copperas Cove over the years, Vasquez saw a lack of activities to do in the community. So he came up with the idea to open a community book store.
"I was selling books in Lampasas for a little bit and did a survey of how many people were book lovers," Vasquez explained. "The survey showed that lots of people loved to read. So it's something the community needed and I wanted to unite the community."
Copperas Cove does have a city library, but Vasquez said his store would be a bit different.
"The Copperas Cove library is a great organization," Vasquez said. "The difference between the library and us is people don't have to be quiet in here. We want the people to talk and use the book store to have conversations."
Now that Vasquez had the idea, the hard work began.
After a long search, Vasquez landed on an abandoned furniture store to transform into his store front. Problem was, the building had been abandoned for quite a while and had fleas inside and bad flooring.
"It was a challenge," Vasquez added. "I locked myself in the store for 30 days to paint and fix the flooring. I also hired pest control to treat the building. This was all paid for out of pocket."
It wasn't long until the most difficult problem arose, air conditioning.
"I take responsibility for that because I did sign a contract," Vasquez said. "We've had HVAC people come in and take a look at it but it still doesn't work."
As of Aug. 20, the property owners told Vasquez they would help fix the A/C but that is not guaranteed.
"First Edition" opened July 27 and has received great support from the community. There is still a lot of work to be done but there are volunteers that take time to help Vasquez with the store.
To fill the store, Vasquez invested $10,000 into shopping for books at bargain stores and local Goodwills to stock his shelves with thousands of books.
"His vision is such a great vision in the community," Store volunteer Amber Stevens shared. "There's really not a lot to do in Cove for families so that's what made me want to start helping."
Stevens is also a part of the gardening club that meets at the book store every month. This is just one of the many program Vasquez plans to offer at his store.
Vasquez also donates his books to a local homeless shelter and a retirement home in Copperas Cove to give them better access to books. He also plans to donates books to the local jail.
"I'm proud of the people that come in," Vasquez said. "I'm proud of how they all united to get the word out about what we do here."
Vasquez also created an app named 'Virtual Window App'. The app supports local businesses in the community and was created with the intention of making shopping easier.
"First Edition" is located at 202 S Main St, Copperas Cove, TX 76522.
Their hours are Monday 9 a.m. - 8:30 p.m., Tuesday & Wednesday 9 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Thursday & Friday 9 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. and Sunday 1:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
There is a GoFundMe dedicated to helping with much needed fixes at the book store.
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