The dust is still settling on Laura Larson's new bookstore in downtown Ithaca.

“I’ve always wanted to have a bookstore. That was my dream," she said. "I grew up here and when I was a kid here, there were a bunch of bookstores and my favorite place was Corner Bookstore and I loved libraries."

Now she is the owner of Odyssey Bookstore Owner.

Some would say she took a big risk opening during the COVID-19 pandemic, but she took the leap anyways and customers are coming in.

To top it all off, Larson’s first shipment of books came in Friday, March 13, just days before Governor Andrew Cuomo more or less shut down the state.

Her life has taken some twists and turns to get to this point. She has a history degree from Cornell University. She worked as a banker, and in preparation, took a 4-day course on how to be a bookstore owner, fulfilling her lifelong dream.

Larson takes the time to personally recommend new reads for anyone coming in the store. With the world of books at her fingertips, she’s the one that gets to choose the next great selection to hit the shelves for customers to buy.

Every day she gets to live her dream bringing magic to her book store.