Page 1 Books

You could say that it all started with Nancy Drew. The heroic detective so captivated a six-year-old Brandy O’Briant that she finished the whole series before many of her elementary school classmates learned to read. Years later Brandy, an intrepid redhead herself, channeled her life-long love of reading into a surprising business opportunity: a charming independent bookshop and successful subscription service.

“Someone once told me that the universe conspires for your success. And while I think I earned a big chunk of that myself, some of it happened without any agency of mine.”

Brandy O’Briant, Owner of Page 1 Books

Well-intentioned shoppers have told her she must be brave…or crazy. While it does take a certain amount of moxie to start a small business, particularly an independent bookstore, in the 21st century, Brandy is decidedly not crazy. Her career in advertising provided a keen understanding of consumer behavior and experience in trend-spotting. Books, now more accessible than ever, were growing in popularity with celebrity book clubs cropping up everywhere (thanks, Oprah). At the same time, personalized shopping services and subscription boxes were just starting to explode, thrilling consumers with a steady supply of expertly selected products delivered right to their homes in packages designed to delight. The idea for a subscription service of hand-selected books delivered monthly started as a spark and grew into an obsession. Brandy took a leap and started an online retail shop, managing the business while maintaining her busy advertising career. An unexpected lay-off provided the occasion to apply all of her attention and considerable marketing expertise to bring Page 1 Books to life.

“Someone once told me that the universe conspires for your success. And while I think I earned a big chunk of that myself, some of it happened without any agency of mine.”

The Page 1 Book subscription is a personalized service. The staff, never an algorithm, hand-selects books for each client based on their knowledge of the books and the client’s preferences. The process starts with a questionnaire in which the client describes their likes and dislikes (a Goodreads profile helps). From there, the Page 1 literary matchmakers select a book specifically chosen for the client and send it beautifully wrapped with a surprise literary treat enclosed.

“We have called ourselves literary matchmakers because we want you to fall in love with the book we pick for you… And when you post that we “hit the nail on the head” with our choice for you, that is what we live for. ”
Brandy O’Briant

Feedback is always encouraged and used to update client’s profile to better inform the matchmaking process over time. And satisfaction is guaranteed, always. If the client doesn’t love the book as replacement is sent at no cost.

Brandy and her team are always thinking about their subscribers with the hope of finding the perfect match. “A woman who is a busy mother of many and feeling pulled in an overwhelming number of directions recently wrote to us that she loves Page 1 because she knows we think about her. Just her. For at least five minutes each month, she gets to be focus of someone else’s considered attention.”

As this most unusual holiday season approaches, here is an opportunity to enlist expert help to complete your shopping while supporting an independent business. Page 1 subscriptions are available for three, six or twelve months. A gift subscription card and allows the recipient to provide their own preferences.

If you are in the Chicago North Shore area, stop in and visit the cozy shop on Central Street and select a book for yourself. Perhaps a nostalgic trip to Shadow Ranch with Nancy Drew and her friends is just what you need right now.

The Page 1 Book Subscription is a personalized service that hand-selects books for you based on your preferences and our knowledge. For yourself or a perfect gift for a book-lover, this is the subscription that fits all preferences. Guaranteed.
Learn more at Page1Books.com