In 1991, college seniors Cinnamon Dokken and Bryan Peterson took a leap of faith and opened A Novel Idea Bookstore with a stock of 2000 books. The store was located in an unheated basement in an old warehouse on the edge of downtown Lincoln. Shelves were made from scrap lumber. It was a long, cold year -- but the shop managed to pay the bills and the stock increased to 20,000 books.

The store moved to its present location (with heat!) in 1992. The old lumber shelves received a coat of paint. Katherine Bergstrom came to work in the shop in 1994. In 1995, Bryan decided to leave Nebraska to pursue interests in Japan. At that time, Cinnamon became the sole proprietor and Katherine became A Novel Idea Bookstore's in-shop manager.

The next several years were spent remodeling, with the help of family and friends. The old shelving was replaced with shelves that have carved tops and inset tiles. A beautiful oak and glass counter was custom-built to house collectable books. Kirsten Coniglio joined the bookselling staff in 2000 and now manages our online business Cinnamon, Katherine and Kirsten all serve as buyers for the store -- a combined total of over 34 years' worth of experience. James and Molly help us maintain our ever-changing inventory. Silas, our shop cat, is alternately our welcoming committee and our resident doily. (He tends to relax and drape himself over any available surface.

The shop has come a long way since those early days. We offer a wide selection of used, rare and out-of-print books -- paperback and hardcover, fiction and non-fiction. Call us, email or stop in for a browse. We have 50,000 volumes on two floors. You can lose yourself and find treasures!