Brief Reflection: New Beginnings From a Treasured Past

Originally written 4/12/2023. Refer to supporting entry in “Portfolio”.

Welcome!

My name is Ashley, and I am the owner of Gryffin Conservatory & Conservancy. I decided to begin this next chapter for Gryffin by taking a look back at its treasured past. Gryffin Conservatory & Conservancy originally began as Gryffin Bibliophile Conservatory, a curated indie bookstore located in Tampa, Florida.

Opening a brick-and-mortar business wasn’t part of my original plan. In fact, I had been actively working on purchasing a large flower truck from New York to transform into a bookmobile! Honestly, the whole idea was a little wild to begin with. At the time, I was a full-time cardiovascular surgical nurse, on call more often than I care to remember. I quickly discovered that obtaining the proper licenses for a mobile store was more complicated than expected—and even harder was finding places willing to let me park and operate.

Set back but never deterred, an unexpected opportunity came my way in the form of my dream house.

There’s a mansion on Davis Islands called Anderson House, and ever since I was a little girl visiting my Mimi, I had called it my dream house. Each of my siblings had a "Tampa dream house," and that one was mine. One day, driving home from work, I noticed a sign out front saying they were accepting bids for co-working spaces. On a whim, I reached out to the owner and asked if they’d consider hosting my bookstore.

At that point, I had already launched my bookstore online, but I was still running it out of my apartment. I figured the worst they could say was no—and at least I’d finally get a tour of my dream house. To my amazement, they accepted my bid!

I went all in.

Running that little bookshop was one of the best experiences of my life. It taught me so much in such a short time. I loved dressing up as my own vision of a bookstore owner—somewhere between Rachel Weisz in The Mummy and Alicia Vikander in The Light Between Oceans. Considering my real job required sewer-water colored scrubs, scrub caps, and 25-pound fluoroscopy Kevlar, this was the first time I’d ever been able to let my artistic side shine—mentally, physically, and professionally—in a place that was itself a work of art. I look back on that time with deep fondness.

As a smaller shop, and as a scrappy, learn-as-I-go kind of owner, I decided to offer themed collections every other month. I focused on quality over quantity—curating books and goods around themes like Water, Safari, Summer Soirée, and Autumn Creeps. I loved the mail I received from the American Booksellers Association, collaborators, and especially when the new books came in. I tried to read as many as I could—though mostly I only managed the kids’ books! I'm still working through the ones I kept for myself.

I gave tours of the mansion, showing off its stunning architecture, chandeliers, clawfoot tubs, and a charming butler’s pantry where I served coffee and wine. In summer, I set up a little lemonade table in the entry hall. I even had a closet under the stairs—if you know, you know. Every package was wrapped in brown paper and tied with string or placed in a brown bag with deep green tissue paper, each stamped with a custom logo crafted just for me.

But the best part of the bookstore? The people.

I had the coolest, kindest customers—supportive and loyal. I loved talking to them, sharing our interests and stories. The room I operated in had a baby grand piano that once belonged to the composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. I wasn’t technically supposed to let people play it… but of course I did. Watching someone sit down and lose themselves in a piece they hadn’t played in years—especially when I had no idea they even could play—was pure magic.

One of my favorite people from that time was Jacob Odell, a manager at the company that owned Anderson House. Jacob was a gem. He’d check in on me some mornings, and I always looked forward to our chats over coffee. He had a way of making me laugh and feel like I was doing something right. I’ll never forget the day I bumped into him casually walk out of Dunkin’ Donuts, iced coffee in one hand, proudly wearing my G.B.C. sweatshirt. It was completely unexpected and made my day.

Some of my most cherished memories are the evenings my mom would come by after a slow day. We’d sit on the wraparound porch with crab rangoons and raspberry wine, Elvis playing in the background, watching the sunset or the rain, just soaking in the joy of my dream house. My family always knew how much this meant to me. Even if they thought I was a little crazy, they supported me completely—and loved the experience right along with me.

I started building Gryffin Bibliophile Conservatory in February 2020, never imagining what the following month would bring. As much as I loved every minute, it wasn’t sustainable through COVID lockdowns and my grueling hospital schedule at the time. With a proud but heavy heart, I closed that chapter in October 2020.

But true love never dies. From the ashes of that beloved chapter came the sparks of something new—this time, further north.

Read about the next phase of Gryffin in the journal entry: Gryffin Re-Brand.