Rita Collins and Her Amazing Traveling Bookstore
If you happen to visit Prigel Family Creamery or Peabody Heights Brewery on the weekend, you might encounter Rita Collins, a retired teacher with a passion for storytelling and a van full of books. Her mobile bookstore, St. Rita’s Amazing Traveling Bookstore and Textual Apothecary, travels across the country, aiming to make reading accessible and enjoyable for everyone. As Collins puts it, “I wanted it to be like the old-time medicine show… I think reading can make you feel better.”
A Community Resource
Collins often sets up at the Prigel Family Creamery, where she attracts young readers with children’s books priced at just one dollar. This affordability encourages families to purchase books. During one of her recent visits, she helped Erin Dorsey and her daughter Alice select books, including “The Pop-Up Book of Nightmares,” a favorite of Alice.
Dorsey appreciates Collins’ initiative: “It helps make it more accessible to everybody. There are areas where we don’t have bookstores anymore, so it’s nice that it can go around and hit different people in different places.”
Diverse Selection of Books
Collins’ van is filled to the brim with an eclectic mix of used books covering various genres, including health, spirituality, biographies, poetry, and cookbooks. She also features regional authors as well as classics from renowned writers like Virginia Woolf and Toni Morrison.
A Decade of Travel
Over the last 12 years, Collins has ventured across more than 40 states with her bookstore. “I think of it almost like troubadours back in the Middle Ages,” she explains. She feels a strong connection to her roots in Baltimore, which she has called home since moving from Montana two years ago.
Community Connections
In her new hometown, Collins has contributed to the community by establishing a Little Free Library at Roland Park Place. Becki Bees, V.P. of Sales and Marketing at the community, notes that Collins possesses a unique talent for building connections among people.
A Meaningful Purpose
Collins believes it’s essential for individuals to have a meaningful purpose in life. “It’s like, can we look at something that has a little more structure to it, a little more depth?” she asks. She encourages older adults to not limit themselves based on societal perceptions.
Her insights are supported by research from Yale University, which indicates that adults aged 65 and older can show improvements over time, especially when they hold positive beliefs about aging.
Continued Learning and Exploration
Collins continues to learn and ask questions. She advocates for engaging with diverse perspectives to challenge and broaden one’s thinking. One of her greatest joys is interacting with various people and understanding their cultures across the United States.
Upcoming Events
You can catch Rita Collins and her traveling bookstore at the Overlea Farmers Market on October 10 and 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and at Canco Market on October 25 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. She is committed to spreading the love of reading wherever she goes.
