Mainstreet Maven: Sandi Cararo
OWNER OF THE BOOK DRAGON, STAUNTON, VA
PROSPER
Sandi shares a few of her “blind date” selections, where you don’t know what book you are buying! Photo: October Grace Media
The Book Dragon, 102 W Beverley St, Staunton, VA 24401
Tucked into an exceptionally well located storefront along Beverley Street in the heart of downtown Staunton, Virginia, sits The Book Dragon—a small shop with a big spirit, run by a woman whose story is just as compelling as the titles she stocks.
Meet Sandi Cararo, Army veteran, dog mom, relentless book lover, and the heart behind Staunton’s independent bookstore. She’s a force on Main Street—part dreamer, part pragmatist, all moxie.
We visited with Sandi as part of our Mainstreet Mavens series to learn more about what it takes to launch a bookstore in a small town, what keeps it running, and why towns like Staunton thrive when small business owners like her plant roots. We are particularly fascinated to talk to an owner of a bookstore, one she started from the ground up. We find that independent bookstores are often a key cornerstone in our most remarkable small towns.
The Spark Behind the Story
Sandi didn’t stumble into the book business—she built her way into it. Before opening The Book Dragon in 2019, she’d worked in bookstores for years. But owning one? That was the dream. And dreams require risk.
Photo: October Grace Media
When she decided the time was right to own a shop of her own, she was living in Crozet, a small town west of Charlottesville. The local book scene there was, in her words, “adorably tiny.” She loved the vibe but saw the potential of nearby Staunton—just a scenic drive away, but with a larger retail core and a community that felt ready for an indie bookstore with character.
So she did it. She signed the lease. She stocked the shelves with titles she personally chose. She opened the doors.
And then, six months later, the pandemic hit.
“Everything I Had Planned… I Had to Do in 60 Days.”
That was Sandi’s reality in April 2020, just as the world came to a standstill. What she thought would be a slow, thoughtful rollout—complete with weekend-only hours and side gigs organizing personal libraries—turned into a crash course in business survival.
“I didn’t even have a website,” she laughs now. “I didn’t plan to build one for at least a couple of years. But then COVID happened, and I had to figure it out. Fast.”
She pivoted hard. She learned e-commerce. She launched curbside service. She built relationships with book wholesalers who support indie shops. And she did it all while unpacking boxes, keeping the lights on, and—like every small business owner—wondering what tomorrow would bring.
A Shop with Soul (and Great Shelves)
Walk into The Book Dragon today and you’ll find a space that’s as intentional as it is inviting. Sandi’s collection spans new releases, literary classics, children’s books, graphic novels, cookbooks and all the genre fiction a bookworm could want. If it’s on her shelves, it’s because she chose it—personally.
“I don’t carry everything,” she says. “But I carry the right things—for this community.”
She’s adamant about that. Sandi’s shop isn’t just a business; it’s a relationship with the town itself. She doesn’t stock what others nearby carry. She ensures the aisles are wide enough for wheelchairs and those with limited mobility. She’s one of the few shops in town that is fully ADA accessible—an intentional design that matters deeply to her.
And while she jokes that bookstore ownership leaves little time for actual reading, she stays sharp by listening to audiobooks while processing inventory—thanks to Libro.fm, a service that shares profits with independent stores. (Think of it as a way to listen to your books and spend the money locally!)
A meeting of the Silent Book Club Photo cred: The Book Dragon
Building Community, One Page at a Time
The Book Dragon isn’t just where you buy books. It nurtures a reading community.
Once a month, Sandi hosts Staunton’s Silent Book Club at Yelping Dog Wine. Readers gather, order a glass of something good, and then… read. No pressure, no awkward icebreakers, just 90 minutes of quiet togetherness. It’s become so popular that the waitstaff compete for shifts that night—and yes, they read too.
That’s the beauty of what Sandi has built. It’s more than a shop. It’s part of the town’s fabric.
Not Just a Business—A Belief
As we talked, it became clear: Sandi believes in small towns. But she also knows they don’t thrive on charm alone.
“Everyone romanticizes bookstores,” she says. “They think I sit here reading all day. But this is hard work. I’m open seven days a week. I process dozens of boxes every week. And if a bookstore—or any retail store—doesn’t make a profit, it won’t survive.”
She’s blunt, but right. Sandi isn’t just passionate—she’s practical. Her advice for aspiring bookstore owners? Start small. Know your town. Don’t overspend. And make sure you run a profit.
“You can’t serve your community if you can’t stay open.”
From Crozet to Staunton, and still meeting new friends
Sandi moved to Staunton just as COVID lockdowns began. Not exactly perfect timing, but in hindsight, exactly right. Now fully immersed in her community—with three big dogs at home, weeds she’s too busy to pull, and a store that locals are still discovering six years later—Sandi is exactly where she belongs.
“You know what’s wild?” she says. “There are still people in town who walk in and say, ‘I didn’t know this was here.’ And we’re on Main Street!”
But here’s the thing: that’s changing. Because one book, one conversation, one silent reading night at a time, Sandi Cararo is shaping Staunton’s downtown—and reminding the rest of us what small-town moxie really looks like.
Want to support Sandi and The Book Dragon?
Shop online through Bookshop.org or Libro.fm
Follow on Instagram @thebookdragonshop
Visit the store in Staunton and say hello (bonus points if you bring your dog as they are welcome!)
Huge thanks to Cindy Fellows, October Grace Media: Photography & Content Creator for capturing our Mainstreet Mavens in their natural habitat!
Follow MoxieTowns for more stories from remarkable small towns and women like Sandi, who are making Main Street shine - our Mainstreet Mavens!
