Crying Cat Books and Records held its grand opening last week after Murfreesboro local Terri Delong decided it was finally time to share her collection with the city. The quaint store is located right off of the city’s square and is something Delong has had in mind for a very long time.
“I love books, I love records, and I just felt like Murfreesboro needed a place
that had both and had a good selection and, I don't know, it's just kind of been a dream
and a love of mine and so I just decided to go for it.”
Opening up a store is not an easy feat, and it’s something that took Delong years to do. She had to build up a collection that had enough variety to sell to the public, and it all stemmed from her own love of reading.
“It was years and years of just going to Goodwill and yard sales, and just
picking up books here and there… it just ended up in a box and then the boxes started
accumulating and then finally I was like, ‘Well I could just, you know, if I have, like, 200
more boxes, I could start a store.’”
After finally getting to the point to where she could open up her own store, there was still a challenge to face. With many businesses not surviving during COVID-19, it’s become quite intimidating to open up during the middle of the pandemic.
“I was really scared about that whole thing, but when I saw that this space
opened up for rent is when I just decided to go for it because this space really spoke to
me and when I walked in, I just felt like it was it, it was just like a gut feeling. It was scary
– it's still scary – you know, with the whole thing because you know, you just never know
what's going to happen in the future either. I mean, you just don't know.”
While the future is still unknown, Delong has decided to keep going with her business, and they have already been incredibly successful in just their first week of being open. After three days, they were already restocking the shelves, and have started to prepare for future in-store events.
“Bands playing on the porch would be awesome. Book clubs can meet here,
poetry readings. I’d love to have some poetry readings, author events, [and] local authors.”
The possibilities for this new business are endless, and they’re only just getting started. Crying Cat Books and Records can be found at 504 North Maney Avenue and is open Tuesday through Saturday.