Sandy Book Store Celebrates First Anniversary

By Daniel Crawford, The Sandy Standard

Once Upon A Tome bookstore will officially turn one year old on Sunday, June 21. On the weekend of June 20/21 owners Alex (Alexandra) Kelly and Brian McKeon are planning to celebrate the birthday with collectible stickers, bookmarks, and coffee mugs. There will be 75 first edition Once Upon A Tome book bags available to customers who spend $75 or more.

Located at 17360 Smith Avenue, the front door of Once Upon A Tome is in the middle of the multiplex business building, managed by the Carl Edward Ramsten Jr. Trust, which faces Sandy Insurance Center, and is north of Proctor Boulevard directly across from the Ant Farm Cafe & Bakery.  

Kelly and McKeon chose this address for its proximity to a main street and the large parking lot. They did concede the amount of office space they were hoping to find, ultimately settling on 750-square-feet. They will have right-of-first-refusal if another office space becomes available.  

The smaller space did offer the perks of newly tiled wood flooring which planted the idea of painting the walls, ceilings and door a deep-forest green color to create an enchanted forest vibe, and a unique three-room floor layout that appealed to the new owners.

“We had always planned to build a model featuring a children’s room, a reading room, and the main showroom for the adults, so it really was the perfect place for us,” said Kelly.

The first year has gone by very quickly, admits the duo, and they have been very pleased with the progress.  

The year in review has produced a successful working collaboration with the Sandy Historical Society. Several local authors and writers have dropped by and introduced their work. The children’s room has seen growing interest with young readers, and many customers have become regular shoppers.  

The reading room has gained momentum, and  McKeon and Kelly love it when readers stop with a beverage in tow and time on their hands.

“We really encourage people to come by and bring snacks and enjoy the reading room.  We are so proud of our reading room and hope more people come and enjoy it,” beams McKeon.

Once Upon A Tome has over 2,500 books, with genres including romance, sci-fi, history, and children’s classics on the shelves. Any customer requests will be ordered and delivered within a few short days. Book baskets filled with genre-themed books and other goodies have been popular with customers.  

The bookstore name itself has been a draw.  Customers have favorably commented on the clever word-play.  

“Alex came up with the name. When she said it out loud we both knew right away it was the perfect name,” said McKeon.

Kelly and McKeon are making the most out of the smaller space. The ‘enchanted forest’ dark green theme has been the perfect background for creative lighting and decorative ambience. The office acoustics are filled by vinyl LPs spun from a classic 33 ⅓ turntable.  

Chess players will love the hand-carved wooden pieces and will have a standing invitation to play either Kelly or McKeon for a quick game or one of those long, drawn-out, meticulous, battles requiring days to complete.

In August of 2027 Kelly and McKeon plan to marry. This milestone was scheduled for this year, but they decided to take a cautious approach as they evaluated their first year successes and speculated on future business direction.  

Both Kelly and McKeon are pleased to be living their dream here in Sandy.

“The presence of a book store to a community cannot be understated. We hope to be here for a very long time,” said Kelly.