Introducing Ol' Curiosities & Book Shoppe on Etsy

Do you ever feel like browsing through shelves of old books but can't find the time to venture to a neighborhood bookshop? Or maybe you don't live near a brick-and-mortar shop that sells rare and secondhand books. Or maybe it's three in the morning, and the shops are closed... In short, if you're a fan of reading and/or collecting print books, check out Ol' Curiosities & Book Shoppe on Etsy.

The cool thing about this particular Etsy shop is that it's run by booksellers who run a physical bookstore that they opened in Alabama in 2012. So really, this is the closest you can get to browsing a mom & pop bookshop from your computer. The shop owners source books from estate sales, thrift shops, flea markets, library sales, and more. They have a huge inventory, and what's listed on Etsy only represents a small part of what they have available; in fact, they encourage customers to contact them if you have a particular book you're looking for.

When you browse the Ol' Curiosities & Book Shoppe's Etsy storefront, you can browse books by categories such as children's books, law books, photography books, and books by Pearl S. Buck. But the bulk of their books are difficult to categorize as they are unique and vintage items. Most of the shop's listings are very brief: it's clear to me that the customer base is people who are looking for specific titles/authors, or people who will find familiar titles/authors while browsing the shop and feel inspired to buy. Who wouldn't be inspired to buy a book you loved in the past, or maybe a book that reminds you of a beloved person or place from your past?

One last thing: the prices are quite reasonable, many around the $5 mark. You can explore an old book for what it would cost to buy a couple of lattes. I got the distinct feeling that Ol' Curiosities & Book Shoppe is both a carefully run business and a labor of love from people who know and deeply respect the book culture of yesterday and today.

Meet Steve Austin, Author of Grace Is Messy

Steve Austin is an author, motivational speaker, worship leader, full-time sign language interpreter. He's been a husband for the past seven years, and is the father of Ben (2 1/2) and Caroline (3 months).

Learn more about Steve on his website, and by checking out the Go Fund Me campaign to publish his book, Grace Is Messy, which will help support The WellHouse, an organization combating sex trafficking in Birmingham, Alabama.

1. What motivated you to write your book, Grace Is Messy?

2. In writing the book, what resources did you draw on: your own experiences, the experiences of others, reflections on the Bible...?

Mandy, thanks so much for the interview. I'm honored to share with you and hope that my story and this new project will inspire others to seek honesty with themselves and the Hope that comes when they give themselves and others a second chance. An encounter with radical grace can truly change the course of one's life.

Growing up, I was molested as a four-year-old, I lived through the experience of my Mom's sister killing herself when I was a young teen and watching my two teenage cousins live through this grief, and lived through my own father's affair when I was in my early twenties. I watched my mother hurt so bad, but I also watched her show my dad grace like I had never experienced before, even though I had grown up as an active church member.

I began to realize that there is much more to life than being a "Sunday morning Christian" and that I wanted to experience this radical, freeing grace.

3. What is The WellHouse, and how will your book help support this organization?

The WellHouse is a faith-based and Christ-centered nonprofit organization offering immediate shelter and transitional housing to women who have been trafficked, are prostituting, or otherwise sexually exploited. Food, clothing, spiritual guidance, Christian counseling, and other necessities are provided, along with assisting with referrals for substance abuse treatment, if needed. Life skills classes, GED preparation, and other enrichment services are part of the experience to help these women become self-sufficient and give them a sense of self-worth. The goal is for women to go on to live full and productive lives.

Few shelters exist for sexually exploited women.

The WellHouse is the only 24-hour shelter offering immediate housing assistance to women being prostituted in the Southeast. Other shelters have entry requirements undermining a woman's access to an immediate, safe environment, such as requiring state identification, proof of homelessness, and other prerequisites, which this population of women may not have. The WellHouse does not require qualifying information. While in the program, residents receive assistance in obtaining the identification and documentation they need to rebuild their lives.

Safety is an ongoing concern. Exploited women cannot experience personal progress and future success, if their safety is in question or jeopardized. The length of time in the program is guided by safety and individual needs, since most residents have no other resources available than those provided by the WellHouse.

50% of the proceeds from each book will go directly to support the mission of The WellHouse, in fighting sex trafficking on the I-20 corridor, from Texas to Atlanta.

4. I think many people hear about sex trafficking but might not realize why it's still so pervasive today. Could you tell us a little bit about why combating sex trafficking is so important?

When you consider that 27 million are trafficked each year, that 80% of those are women and 50% of those are children, it is a crushing statistic. My heart aches for those exploited ones, and I want to see us come together and do something about it. I wanted this book to do more than just sit on a shelf and collect dust.

5. Why did you choose to pursue funding for Grace Is Messy via crowdfunding, and would you tell us a little more about your Go Fund Me campaign?

I wanted to give everyone the opportunity to give back. In this country, we are so blessed. Blessed more than we could ever possibly imagine. I wanted people to be able to to join the fight against human trafficking, whether it's donating $5 or $500, and the GoFundMe Campaign allows people to do just that. My friend Susan said, "With this campaign, a handful of people can change the world." I couldn't have said it better myself.

If anyone wants to join the fight, please go to http://www.gofundme.com/93lbf8 and donate. Every single dollar counts towards our goal of $10,000.

You can also follow updates at www.graceismessy.com, facebook.com/iamsteveaustin, and twitter.com/iamsteveaustin.

Mandy, again, thanks for your time and for spreading this awareness to more people.

God bless you!

Thanks, Steve!