The smell of old books is one of the best things on Earth.
I have always loved books, but I never thought about selling them until I was out for a walk with my husband and we came across a cardboard box on the sidewalk with the word FREE scrawled across the side. Naturally curious, we looked inside and discovered a whole heap of beautiful vintage children's books. I took the whole box. Not that I needed them for myself--I did not yet have children and our apartment offered limited space--but I needed to save them from the elements and figure out where they did belong. That's when my thoughts turned to Etsy.
"The Sensitive, Bookish Type" is a quote from one of my favorite old movies (but, ironically enough, not the book), Breakfast at Tiffany's. Holly asks Paul if he's ever stolen anything from the five and ten, and he says, "No--I'm the sensitive, bookish type." I've always identified with Paul Varjak and that quote has always resonated with me, so it seemed only fitting that I use it in naming my Etsy shop and my lifestyle blog (thesensitivebookishtype.com), where I write about my life, my kids, my style, books, food, cooking, baking, working out--you name it, I'll probably post about it eventually.
That's my style, I suppose--eclectic. A while ago I began offering custom cartoon portraits and prints inspired by some of my favorite quotations, and have found it to be the most rewarding and enlivening thing to learn about people and draw their cartoon likenesses (only the coolest people seem to want to buy cartoon portraits, and so far I've loved every client I've had, each with their own quirks and stories). I've got plans for bookends and other home decor. I dream big, I work hard, and I love every minute of it. (Is that cheesy? It sounds cheesy. Oh well--I like cheese.)
I've recently decided to separate my various types of wares into separate Etsy shops. That way, each shop looks less cluttered and it's easier for you to find what you're looking for. This shop, SBTBooks (formerly SensitiveBookishType) will focus solely on vintage books from here on out. I've opened a shop called SBTbyDesign for custom cartoons, portraits, greeting cards, prints, and the like. I'm also working on a third shop, SBTGifts, for what I call "quotable clothing" and literary gifts.
Thank you so much for visiting my store and shopping small!
