By Josh Niesse Friday, Sep 05, 2014

This month (September 2014) marks 3.5 years since we opened Underground Books, just off of Adamson Square in downtown Carrollton, Georgia. To celebrate, we’re launching a blog to share our experiences as booksellers and highlight some of our favorite books and materials as they pass through the shop.  To begin with, we’ll share a little about the folks you’ll encounter when you come to our store.

Josh & Megan

Underground Books opened in March 2011 and was originally the creation of Josh Niesse. Josh graduated from Western Kentucky University with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy (and a minor in religion). He moved to Douglasville, Georgia to join an AmeriCorps volunteer program (sort of like the domestic Peace Corps) tutoring youth-at-risk in literacy and GED prep, a program which he eventually managed for several years. After experiencing burnout in the nonprofit world, Josh moved to Carrollton, where his interest in urban planning and traditional neighborhood design caused him to fall in love with the charming Adamson Squarearea.While bartending for several years at Alley Cat, he started selling books found at yard sales online through outlets such as amazon and ebay. Eventually this hobby, combined with a lifelong passion for books, morphed into a dream of full-time bookselling. Not long after opening, Josh met Megan Bell, who was then an English major at UWG, minoring in creative writing, with a focus on poetry. In May 2014, they were married. Megan just began her MBA at UWG and contributes her professional writing skills and creative research finesse to the bookstore by aiding in the cataloguing of inventory for online sale.

 

 

 

Miranda McMillan

Miranda met Josh when they both bartended at the Alley Cat for a time. She started helping at Underground Books before the doors were even opened, volunteering to help clean and paint the disastrous basement space that would eventually become a charming little bookshop. Officially hired in the fall of 2012, Miranda has become an essential part of Underground Books, working at least 2 days a week, and covering longer stretches so Josh and Megan can do things like go on their honeymoon and visit family out-of-state. Miranda is also a rockstar barista at Bella Coffeeand an off-and-on again psychology student currently on the 8 year degree plan. Fans of Underground Books’ biblio-crafts such as the popular vintage book journals have Miranda to thank for taking this crafting operation to the next level.

 

 

 

 

Maria & Sebastienne

You might recognize Maria & Sebastienne from their work at Farmers Fresh CSA across the square from Underground Books, where they usually work, supplying West Georgians with fresh, locally-sourced and delicious food. You might also have seen this pair in local media lately due to their amazing tiny house they just finished building, and their blog about it, Tiny House, Big Dream.  Maria also teaches yoga classes at Carrollton Community Yoga and is incredibly well read  in modern philosophy, as is Sebastienne, who is currently working on a PhD in Psychology, Consciousness, and Society at UWG.