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By Amy Falkofske
With the rise in popularity of e-readers and audiobooks, you’d be surprised to learn that newprint.com reports that “Not only is print still popular, but print sales also grew by nearly one-fourth from 2014 to 2024.”
Even though big-chain bookstores struggle to stay in business, demand for the personal touch you get from a small independent bookstore will always remain. We have two such stores here in the Prince William area.
Uniquely Prince William
Tracy Blanton, co-owner of Cozy Calico Books, opened her store in March of this year and said Occoquan felt like the perfect place for Cozy Calico.
“When we moved to Northern Virginia in 2020, it felt like a homecoming, as I’m from Maryland and my husband is from North Carolina. We found Occoquan early on and loved coming here to shop local and eat delicious food…As an author, I love books and the bookish community, but I had never thought about opening my own store until I visited Occoquan. A bookstore just felt like such a natural and needed addition to the town, and it’s been an absolute privilege to be able to create this space,” she said.
Emily Hamby had a similar experience that same year when moving to Old Town Manassas.
“My husband and I moved to Old Town Manassas in 2020 and instantly fell in love with the small-town charm. I’m gluten-free, and there were no safe dining options for me in the city at the time. So, I started baking and opened Honey and Ivy gluten-free bakery in November 2023…After constantly hearing what the community was desiring, my team and I decided to make the plunge and open Sleepy Dragon Books right next door to the bakery,” she said.
Small Business Character
Walk into either Cozy Calico or Sleepy Dragon, and you’ll notice right away that they are different than your big chain bookstores.
At Cozy Calico Books, a resident calico cat named Checkers visits the store on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and has become so popular that customers come by just to see her! In fact, the store’s name is inspired by calico cats.
Blanton’s daughter reads with the resident cat, Checkers. (Photo by Marc Summerlin Photography)
“When I was workshopping a name for the store, it really came down to the vibe I was looking for. Occoquan is a cute little historic town, and I felt like a bookshop here should feel cozy and whimsical and like a safe and comfortable space. For me, there’s nothing cozier or more inviting than cats and books,” said Blanton.
At Cozy Calico, two special store employees also work. Their names are “Wonder Kitty” and “Snowball,” and they are stand-ins for Blanton’s children, “who are happy to work in the store but who we prefer to keep off the internet as much as possible,” said Blanton.
Over at Sleepy Dragon, Hamby can do something that only a small bookstore can do: specialize in a few genres.
“At only 400 square feet, we don’t have a huge selection of any one thing. We stay fantasy focused because that is what we have the most of. Our estimate is that 40-50 percent of our inventory falls into the fantasy and romantasy categories,” said Hamby.
Giving Back to the Community
Cozy Calico Books hosts book clubs, creative writing classes, story times, and partners with schools for fundraisers and book events to support literacy.
“I love being able to offer our community, particularly our youngest guests, the opportunity to meet real authors for story times and the like. These kinds of events foster interest in reading and writing, which is particularly important for our little ones,” she said.
Sleepy Dragon Books partners with the Manassas Rotary to bring the late Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Manassas. Imagination Library provides a free book every month to all children ages five and under.
“Sleepy Dragon Books is a sign-up location, and we try to make sure all of our customers with kids know about this awesome program!” said Hamby
Whether it’s providing a unique book-shopping experience or encouraging literacy in the community, both Cozy Calico Books and Sleepy Dragon Books add something special and valuable to the Prince William community.
“We believe that books teach empathy, joy is an act of resistance, and community is more important than ever,” said Blanton.
Cozy Calico Books is located at 199 Union Street in Occoquan and is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 12 to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Sleepy Dragon Books is located at 9101 Center Street in Historic Downtown Manassas and is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Amy Falkofske is a contributing writer for Prince William Living.
