'We are not digital': Chesterfield bookstore celebrates 40 years of not keeping up with the times
You could say that both Dorryce Rudd and Caroline Davidson are reluctant used-bookstore owners.
“I am not a compulsive or impulsive buyer,” said Rudd, who co-owns the Book Exchange in Midlothian Village in Chesterfield County with her daughter.
The Exchange was previously run by a different mother-daughter team, Maude Kerby and Martha Graydon.
Both Rudd and Davidson knew the store was closing as a result of the pandemic, but they had no background in owning a business. Davidson worked in direct sales and Rudd was a retired elementary school teacher and pastor.
Davidson said Kerby told her that she may have to do something drastic to get rid of all the books.
“She said, ‘I think I'm just going to have to back up a dump truck and dump all the books,” said Davidson. “And I remember having this physical reaction of, ‘No! You can't throw books away.’”
Rudd made a spontaneous decision.
“For some reason, I asked [Kerby], ‘What do you want for your store?’ And she said, ‘Well, everybody that's made an offer wants to take it digital, and I don't want to lose the bricks and mortar,’” remembered Rudd. “And she made a price and did some other nice things that made it almost impossible for a book lover to turn down.”
So mother and daughter bought the store in 2020 after promising to keep the same system and to not to take it online, a promise they’re still keeping. This means after 40 years in business, the Book Exchange has not kept up with technology. They don’t have books digitally inventoried or available to purchase online.
“We still use calculators. We are not digital," said Davidson. “One of these days, we would like to get an inventory system, but people are still fascinated by the calculators, and we still have little kids asking us what it is, so we keep it.”
Independent bookstore growth is on the rise
Despite Amazon’s seemingly unlimited supply of books, the number of independent bookstores has grown over the past few years.
“There's been tremendous growth in the independent bookstore channel the last five years,” said Allison Hill of the American Booksellers Association, adding that 1,500 stores have opened in that time. “In 2025, 422 indie bookstores opened and the majority of ABA members experienced year-over-year sales increases.”
On the flip side, Hill said that last year was also one of the most challenging years for independent bookstores.
“They navigated an uncertain economy, tariffs, free speech harassment, communities impacted by ICE raids and book bans, as well as the growing chokehold Amazon has on the book industry,” Hill said.
But, she said the growth in the independent market stems from what indie bookstores offer consumers.
“An alternative to online algorithms and multi-billion dollar investment companies; authentic shopping experiences that align with their values; and an emphasis on community and in-person experiences,” said Hill in an email to the Richmonder. “And this demand is growing as people realize they can use their spending power to shape the world they want to live in.”
Richmond has a number of independent bookstores.
“Richmond is very special to have amazing bookstores and we all are very uniquely ourselves,” Davidson said. “People love the community. They love that they can come in and discuss books and if they need a recommendation, we're willing to make [one]. We take time to be with our customers.”
Hill said they often hear what she calls the “A” word, for Amazon or about other physical chain stores, but it hasn’t harmed their sales. She said oftentimes places like the nearby Barnes and Noble will send customers their way.
Brandon Haffner
How it works
No part of the 7,200-square-foot store was stocked via large book distribution warehouses.
“All of our inventory comes from what people bring us,” said Davidson. “We're not buying books. We're not bringing new books in. What people bring us through their containers is what our inventory is based on.”
When people bring in their books, they’re given a store credit, said Davidson.
“When Maude started, it was actually an exchange,” she said. “You brought in a book, you got a book. And then when her daughter Martha came in, they realized that that was not sustainable. And so that's when they started the credit system.”
Keeping that credit system was part of the stipulation when Rudd and Davidison bought the store.
“It really is part of the store's DNA,” said Davidson. “That is one thing we have not changed. We would get a lot of pushback if we change that.”
Book buyers who don’t have any books to exchange can still purchase books at a discount. But it helps to have store credit.
“If they have enough store credit, instead of getting their books at 50% off, they get them at 75% off,” Davidson said.
Longtime customer Marsha Olsen benefits from having store credit. Hers is more than $500, but that’s because she loves reading new books, which she usually gets from Barnes and Noble and then later takes to the Book Exchange for credit.
“I can't keep all the books I have because there's just too many of them,” she said. “So [Book Exchange] is the perfect place to bring a book. I feel like I'm sharing, especially if it's a book I really like.”
The inventory is set up like any other regular bookstore, by genre. There's a healthy romance section, Western, historical fiction and literature sections, as well as classic pulp fiction books and specialty-bound older books. Plus, the store has an ever expanding puzzle section.
Davidson said they are picky about what books they take in, with many books looking brand-new.
“We have very high standards of what we want quality-wise,” Davidson said. “We had an event last night and one of the people, it was her first time in here, and she's like, ‘They sell new books.’ And her friend was like, ‘No, these are all used.’ ‘But they're immaculate.’ And that's what we want.”
To help keep costs low, they keep a small staff – one full-time and two part-time workers.
“I'm the chief operating gopher, I go for whatever they need,” said Rudd. “I'm owner, manager, toilet cleaner, whatever needs to be done that day.”
Treasure hunting for books
Every time Jayda Justus comes to the Book Exchange, she heads to one particular spot.
“These are the historical fiction kind of stacks. I always go and scan here first, because they do such a great job of curating and organizing,” she said. “When you think of a used bookstore, you think of just a big jumble of books, but they do such an amazing job, by author, by genre.”
Justus, who’s also known as “The History Mom” because of a blog she writes about connecting people with historical places in the state, said the store is set up for people to either hone in on what they want or allows a person to wander around looking for discoveries.
“Half the books I bought today, I'd never even heard of before,” she said, as she purchased a stack of seven books. “Every time I come in, I bring three or four, and then I end up taking more home. We're building new bookshelves as we speak, because my books are just going crazy. I just love finding books that I would never have found at a big-box bookstore, those hidden gems that are maybe 10, 15 years old.”
Both Rudd and Davidson, who just signed a lease for another five years, are also set on celebrating the store’s 40th birthday, which will happen on March 7 with cake and cookies. To also mark the occasion, they’re currently promoting a 40 for 40 reading challenge.
“Forty years is huge for a local small business, especially an independent bookstore. So we really want to celebrate it, we really want to get the word out.
For Davidson and her mom, even after six years of taking a chance, they still can’t fathom that two book lovers own this longtime business whose contents almost ended up in a dump truck.
“I can't believe I really own this. It's the place I look forward to,” said Davidson. “And again, we are not compulsive buyers, but we took a leap of faith. We bought the bookstore to save the books and we ended up getting this amazing community of people that love books and are always wanting to do a treasure hunt. It's just really a magical place.”
