CO.STARTERS Spotlight: Lauren Smothers, Light Trap Books
I met Lauren early on a Wednesday, it was overcast and drizzling slightly- perfect weather to spend the morning in a bookstore. Light Trap Books, (located in The LOCAL, 202 W Lafayette St Unit C, Jackson, TN 3830) is warm and inviting. The nearly floor-to-ceiling shelves are stacked with hundreds of options. The glittering covers and engaging titles are always catching my eye when I come in here, and I find myself distracted just trying to take in as many of the curated reading options as possible.
If I was going to imagine what a bookstore owner in Jackson TN would be like, they would remind me of Lauren. She’s thoughtful, with every sentence that comes out of her mouth. She has this quiet curiosity to her, the stories of the people who enter her shop are just as intriguing to her as the stories within the books she sells. We chat casually while I set up my equipment and I remark on what a perfect day it is to be inside her shop
“It's funny,” she says, “whenever it rains people tend to stay at home.” But I couldn't help but think there is no place one would rather be than right here in the cozy corner that is Light Trap Books.
Lauren Smothers journey from vision to reality with Light Trap is the ideal CO.STARTERS abstraction to reality scenario. She took this from concept to fully funded within the timeframe of the 8-week class. “Even before I had kind of gotten the ball rolling on Light Trap- I knew that joining CO.STARTERS would be a part of the process.”
“It took three years of watching and learning and being in Jackson, but in the fall of 2019, I decided that it was time.”
CO.STARTERS provided a structured environment for Lauren to begin to lay down the framework she needed to bring Light Trap to fruition. Her background is in education, so it comes as no surprise that class structure, homework and the organization of CO.STARTERS really fell into step with Lauren’s learning style. Each of the eight weeks focuses on a specific theme, that kind of class anatomy felt practical and easy to follow while taking on the mountainous task that is starting a business from the ground up.
Every class of CO.STARTERS holds its own unique rituals and practices, Lauren’s group took time at the opening of every class to recount their highs and lows of the week— whether that be personal, business-related or otherwise. “As a small business owner, you need to have some perspective that some days, some weeks and some months, things are hard. Things are tough and it may seem like there is no end in sight.” This little routine is one Lauren holds on to and has taken with her in her first two years of business. “...recognizing that there is light, that there are things happening that are good, and that should be celebrated. We kind of have to take both and hold it loosely.”
Another lesson that made an impact on Lauren were the big discussions around pricing. “You need to put your worth as an artist, as a maker, as a business owner first, which sounds selfish, but it's not because if you don't put yourself and your vision first in the practicalities, it will come back to bite you.” The program really lays out and gives you the confidence to be able to educate your customers. “You may pay a little bit more for the books in here. Not always, but that's because you are being offered a service and experience in shopping in a curated selection you won't be able to get this for 90 miles. That's something even I'm thinking to the future of Light Trap”
There is a certain kind of magic, or power maybe that comes when you have the confidence to make your dreams a reality. Light Trap Books is a physical, breathing, glowing example of that magic paired with the practical business advice and framework that the CO.STARTERS program provides. By purely providing information and support to entrepreneurs, tangible results can be seen and felt.
Light Trap Books is open Tuesday-Thursday 10am-3pm, and Friday-Saturday 9am-5pm. Looking for something in particular? Lauren can order it for you! (731) 410-7128