MIDWAY, Ky. (LEX 18 ) — Annie Denington's world has always revolved around reading.
Not just a passion, but also an escape from social insecurities.
"As a kid I did like reading but it really came from when I was born," Denington said.
"I was born with disabilities and I didn’t really fit in. I turned to reading as my escape. I have made more friends in fantasy worlds than I could ever make In real life.”
A lifetime of flipping pages eventually led Annie to starting a new chapter in her life.
Sharing her love of reading with her community by opening her own bookstore.
"Mom came up with the idea of a bookstore. At first I said no but then I thought ‘why no.’ Who was saying this won’t work out other than me so I said let’s go for it," Denington said.
Annie's mom Ashlee brought up the idea in 2017, after Annie was diagnosed with a neurological disorder.
It's been a long journey to make that idea a reality as COVID-19 put the project on pause and the mother daughter duo struggled to find a spot to open up shop.
A Likely Story got its start online before the Denington's were finally given an opportunity to go brick and mortar.
“The owners of this building actually reached out to us and said ‘we have a space you might be interested in.’ They had been holding on to this space. They’d bought it a few years ago. Gutted it, stopped all the damage that had occurred," Ashlee Denington said.
"The building had sat empty for at least 10 years, maybe longer. They had just kind of stepped away from it waiting to find the right business that they felt fit Midway and their space. They reached out to us and they loved the idea of us putting a bookstore here.”
The bookstore has only been open a week and it's already getting positive feedback.
A community happy to have a place to sift through new and used books to enter the world of reading that Annie has enjoyed all her life.
“It’s very overwhelming. Very exciting. A little nerve wracking. I kind of feel a little bit of everything all at once. It’s hard to describe," Annie Denington said.
"When we first started this Mom made me a promise that we would get here and we did. She kept her promise.”
Eventually, the Denington's hope to use A Likely Story for community events such as book signings and author meet and greets but that will likely be down the road.
A Likely Story is located at 113 East Main Street in downtown Midway.
To learn more about the bookstore, click here
