LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX News) — To find what may be Lexington's smallest bookseller, customers first have to walk inside a grocery store on Cramer Avenue.
Wildlings Bookshop is nestled inside Wilson's Grocery and Meat in the Kenwick neighborhood. Jill Bastin has filled extra space in the store, which she and her husband own, with rows of books, most of them for children.
Bastin was previously a commercial interior designer before she decided to write a new chapter. She opened the shop in August of 2025 and has welcomed eager readers of all ages since, including her own children.
"It's so fun to pick books that they haven't seen before, you know, ways of illustrating they haven't seen before," Bastin said. "Sometimes it's hard to get them to actually like wanna leave."
Wildlings also carries a few shelves of books for adults. To get the whole family reading, Bastin even offers monthly "Mini Me" picks highlighting books for readers of all ages.
"It's important to be able to provide or have kids have access to books that they're gonna enjoy, because that's how they're gonna get better at reading and hopefully become lifelong readers," she said.
Wildlings is located at 1010 Cramer Avenue.
Reading can change a child's life. A single book can spark imagination, build confidence, and help create opportunities that last a lifetime. That is the mission behind the annual "If You Give a Child a Book" campaign. Through a partnership with the Scripps Howard Fund, the campaign works to provide free books to children across Kentucky whose families may struggle to afford them.
A gift of just $12 supplies 2 books to a deserving child in Central Kentucky.
Donations can be made at lex18.com/giveabook, by texting LEXGIVE to 50155, or by scanning the QR code on screen.
