A new online-only bookstore, 5 to 9 Books, aims to help burned out professionals and new retirees cope with the stress of life. Categories in the store include burnout recovery and self-care, recipes for kitchen enthusiasts, crafts galore, and family fun.
Founder Olivia McCoy, who lives in Philadelphia, said that they “founded [the store], which is entirely virtual through Bookshop.org and Libro.fm, to encourage other burnout professionals and new retirees to find passion, purpose, and community outside of work and their careers.” McCoy has worked in a variety of roles in publishing, including in marketing with Greenleaf Book Group and Smith Publicity, and co-planned this year’s Romantasy Festival in Chicago.
It was a part-time job at Bookends & Beginnings in Evanston, Ill., that inspired their transition into bookselling, McCoy said: “I worked briefly as a bookseller in Chicago while I got my Master's degree in Leadership for Creative Enterprises during COVID and fell in love with curation and personal book recommendations.”
Looking ahead, McCoy added, they plan to work with authors to offer workshops to readers who want to explore a topic in greater depth.
“When my therapist recommended I 'touch grass' more and seek out overstimulation less, I began reading more nonfiction and seeking out a hobby," they said. "When you care about what you do, it's easy to get wrapped up in and devoured by it every hour of the day. Reading about new projects and activities helped me to explore some options without investing the time, energy, and money, and I discovered a number of new things about myself.”
