Books on the House Increases Reading Accessibility in Charlotte

The idea that reading just isn’t fun is one that, in all my life experience, simply rings false. The truth is, most people don’t dislike reading, they just don’t know what they like to read or where to get it. 

As a voracious reader from the tender age of 5, I know what I like and where to get it; I’m a huge champion of Park Road Books and the public library, for instance. But there’s another lesser known bookshop bringing the light of literature into lives around Charlotte, and the best part is that it comes to you.

In 2023, Kathleen Varner and Jesse Brown launched Books on the House, a mobile bookstore that provides books to residents free of charge. 

Housed in a renovated go-kart trailer that can hold between 1,500-2,000 books, the idea behind Books on the House is to help increase literacy in the Charlotte area by making books more accessible.

“We realized that we wanted to help youth and children with reading and literacy, but it then escalated into, it really needs to be for everyone because we’re both very strongly committed to having free book access for all of everyone,” Varner said. 

A personal experience inspires a desire to spread literacy

The pair launched the nonprofit after Brown, who wasn’t a lifelong reader, discovered a passion for reading during his time in college. It wasn’t that he didn’t like to read as a child, he explained to Queen City Nerve, it was that he didn’t have books to read. 

Reading wasn’t a priority for Brown or his family. After his father passed away when he was just 7, his family living situation became unstable. Along with his mother and brother, he bounced around between the homes of rotating family members. Drugs and alcohol made things all the more turbulent.  

His tumultuous upbringing eventually led him to Varner, whose daughter was friends with Brown.  

“She said, ‘You got to help him,’” Varner recalled. “‘He just struggles, and I can’t understand it because he’s so much fun and so smart, but he struggles.’” 

Varner took Brown in and gave him the stability he’d been lacking, which afforded him the opportunity to attend Penn State University. He graduated in December 2023, becoming the first member in his family to do so.

While off at school, it became clear to Brown that his lack of reading had impacted him in many ways. He didn’t let the massive amounts of assigned reading included in his course load intimidate him, however, instead cultivating a passion for the pastime. Rather than work, it became an escape.

“I know that I don’t want anyone to have to be without an escape because, for me, I found out that reading is a great escape from the everyday mental stress,” he said.

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It became evident how much his upbringing had affected him and, as he approached graduation, he started brainstorming ways he could give back to his community. After working some ideas over with Varner, the two landed on books as the most suitable way to do so. 

“The thing we kept coming back to was, everybody ultimately reads at some point in their lives, whether it’s for enjoyment, or because they’re trying to learn and grow to be better as an individual or because of school,” Brown said. 

“So what we did, we made the connection, if we go out to the community to help these individuals that don’t have access to not just books but health care and things like that, we could maybe give them the opportunity to learn about financial literacy through reading and things of that nature.”

“We’re trying to get top-down effects,” Varner added. “So if the adult in the home is reading and showing that example, kids will read and want to read.”

This particular goal is what inspired their Literary Equity Project, which aims to increase accessibility to diverse and inclusive literature in under-resourced communities, ensuring that marginalized voices are not only represented but empowered.

“By providing access to books that resonate with these communities, we foster educational growth, cultural pride and the tools necessary for upward mobility,” the website reads. “This initiative not only enriches lives but also builds a foundation for long-term community development and resilience.”

Books On the House builds community through personal libraries

Brown and Varner hope that, for folks who can’t build their own personal libraries, whether it’s because they are living paycheck to paycheck or struggling with homelessness, by helping them build such a collection it can open doors elsewhere. 

“On a day-to-day basis, Jessie and I are out there, and we hear stories from people about how it just impacted and changed their lives,” Varner said. “Like a book, a random book that someone had donated, they found, and it has just changed their trajectory of where they were going in which place. I know it’s weird to say that we focus on the access almost solely and the representation of the books, but that’s the foundation. That’s the root of it all.”

One particular patron whom Varner recalled was a nurse with her children who were tight on funds but looking for a way to spend time together. The nurse got emotional when Varner told her the books were free of charge.

The small family built a home library from scratch that day without having to dip into mom’s bill money.

Books on the House has also served as an alternative to traditional book fairs for Title I schools where less students have access to disposable income for books. 

Funded by private donations and corporate giving, there are many ways for area residents to support the organization, including an Amazon Wish List that allows supporters to help build a collection of genres that don’t often get donated.

Read more: Troubadour Booksellers Set to Open in Southeast Charlotte

Varner and Brown are currently raising funds for a new truck, as the 17-year-old truck they currently hook the trailer up to has limited range. Now operating in seven counties in the greater Charlotte area, the pair has been looking to assist with relief efforts for Hurricane Helene but fear their current vehicle wouldn’t be able to safely tow the trailer through western North Carolina. 

Their goal is to help people replenish the libraries they may have lost when they’re able to do so, one more way to expand access and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to grow the same passion that Brown did. 

“That [lack of accessibility] left a void in my life as a child and so we’re filling that void for individuals,” Brown said. “It’s all about giving everyone a chance to access.”

For more information on the store’s schedule or where to donate, visit their website or follow them on Instagram.