Couple's love for literature tangible in Ybor City store

TAMPA (FOX 13) - A Tampa couple is sharing their love of books and history in the heart of Ybor City.

It's a walk back in time when you enter into Best Books and Rich Treasures Bookstore in Ybor City.

"We have books from the 50s and 60s  the 1800s," Gigi Best-Richardson, owner of into Best Books and Rich Treasures Bookstore said. 

In between jobs, Gigi Richardson decided to follow her passion of owning her own bookstore.

"I have a novel myself," Gigi said. "I've been a poet. I have been writing since I was nine years old. So I have always been involved in books."

Gigi and her husband, Skip have been selling books for more than 20 years. The couple concentrates on out of print books and manuals written by African authors.

They have more than 5,000 books in their store.

Avid reader Christine Newpower says reading literature is an emotional experience.

"[I] love to read real books," she said. "Real books you can hold touch and they feel like a part of reality."

It's a reality that the Richardson's are thankful for.

"This love of reading has a lot to do with the physical book," Gigi said.

The couple gets their books from all over the U.S. and from overseas.