Jenkintown is getting a standalone bookstore. Jackie Botto is seeing to that.

If the name Baba Yaga’s Traveling Bookshop sounds familiar, you may have crossed paths with ‘Jackie-of-all-trades’ at the Jenkintown Night Market. What began as Tuesday appearances in Town Square has turned into a long-term reality.

“As I went through the thought process of opening a bookstore, I read up on startup companies, and that’s how Baba Yaga’s came to be,” Jackie said. “In March I spoke to Ben Bergman, who runs the show. He took a chance on me, and I got great feedback and support. People kept asking me where my store is. Barnes & Noble had just closed, and people seemed to really want a bookstore in town.”

Her latest installation, Capricorn Bookshop, will open its doors in early November, and shapeshift during its few months of operation. Phase One will be that of a traditional bookstore: selling new and used books, vintage vinyl, and prints.

“We want to get the store part down first. We’ll almost be treating it as an extended pop-up space until we get settled. The timing allows us to get right into holiday season,” Jackie, who lives in Jenkintown and graduated from Upper Dublin High School with her husband, Chris, said.

Phase Two will offer area residents a community space with plenty of intimate gatherings.

“My long-term vision for this space is hosting workshops, poetry readings, story times, author signings, and things like that. Peripheral things will include food tastings and a book buyback program, which will unfold over time. We want to try to make it a community space rather than just a store,” Jackie said.

A freelance food photographer for the last eight years, Jackie left her previous job in January and started freelancing on a full-time basis. The flexibility of self-employment allowed her time to explore her lifelong passions.

Located at 605 West Avenue between Breslin’s Consignment Corner and David Arnold Hair Salon, Jackie thought the space was perfectly suited to her vision.

“I’m friends with the owner of Breslin’s Consignment, and she tipped me off to the building. I saw the location and thought, ‘Oh, that’s just begging to be a bookstore,'” she said. “This is my childhood dream. I wanted to be a paleontologist, or live above a bookstore. I haven’t done either of those things, but I’m finally getting my chance. I feel like the store is a culmination of all of the things that I love and want to see in our community. My husband and I work really well as a team and this is something we want to build together. He’s a musician and worked in a bookstore for years, so he has the necessary retail knowledge.”

Their website, capricornbookshop.com, is coming soon. Stay tuned as Capricorn Bookshop announces its soft opening to the extended Jenkintown community.