When Rita Collins couldn’t find a way to bring more people into bookstores, she decided to bring the bookstore to them.

Rita, now 74, began imagining her bibliophile life more than a decade ago, when retirement jumpstarted her dream of opening a bookstore. After taking a course with the American Booksellers Association, Rita realized the best way to combine her love of travel and love of books was to open a traveling bookshop. Rita transformed a white Ford transit van, and began visiting small towns from her home in northwest Montana, seeking out neighborhood events, schools and local markets — places where an independent bookstore might not exist or where people rarely have the chance to browse one.

Every stop is carefully curated. Rita selects books she believes people will connect with: new releases, timeless classics, children’s stories, local authors and unexpected finds. She learns the communities she visits, remembers returning customers and recommends books one conversation at a time. 

“I like the concept of making the whole idea like an old-time medicine show, where the wagon pulls into town and a guy gets out and starts to convince you that they have exactly what you need,” she says with a laugh. “I do believe reading the right book can make you feel better. I do think reading can be medicinal.”

For many visitors, it’s more than buying a book. It’s the experience of slowing down, discovering something unexpected and talking with someone who genuinely loves reading. Her bookstore has traveled tens of thousands of miles, but its purpose has remained the same: making books feel accessible, personal and part of everyday life — wherever people happen to be.

—Kate Rarey. Video by Laura Tejero.

GrandPeople chronicles the stories of older adults living purposeful, fun and meaningful lives.