Today we’d like to introduce you to Traci Simpson.
Hi Traci, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started Read Me Unconditionally in October, 2024. In September of 2024, Hurricane Helene devastated our area in ways that I never thought possible in the mountains! Rivers rose, trees fell, homes were destroyed, lives were lost and for quite a while I felt like I was living in a dystopian movie.
In the middle of all of this, I saw a beauty though. Race, religion, political affiliation… none of it mattered. We were all people … we were humans.
My home was unscathed, my neighbor had a tree on their car, we were trapped in a small section by fallen trees and power lines. We had no water, no power, no cell service, no internet.
I could write a 3 page story about what the first few weeks were like following the storm…BBQ chocolate chip cookies, neighbors walking in the street, pulling my wagon of supplies to neighbors….or the flood of emotions that i experienced over a month later…the day I saw how close the river had been to my husband who had been working at the hospital that night.
Back to how I started though…
Prior to the storm I had been working remotely for a company. When I returned to work, I was informed that I no longer had a job. This decision was made prior to the storm and I was one of a fairly large portion of layoffs due to overall company cutbacks. But the timing was horrible. So here I was…. feeling feelings that I still can’t quite express (if you know, you know). I gave myself the weekend. One weekend to grieve. One weekend to melt down. One weekend to curl up in a ball and feel sorry for myself. Then Monday rolled around and I started applying for jobs.
In the meantime, I just needed a creative outlet. I previously had seen blind date with a book before and always thought they were so cool. I thought it might be fun to try to make a few and sell them during the holiday season while I kept applying for jobs. But it still didn’t feel quite right. So many people around me were hurting. Western North Carolina is full of creatives, makers, and artisans… many of whom lost everything. I needed to find a way to help my community. (Lol side note! At one point in the week after the hurricane my husband told me i couldn’t give away anymore of our water because we didn’t know when food trucks would be able to get to us. He said “you can’t help everybody” and my response was “wanna bet? I can try!”) I decided to reach out to a few local artisans and ask if they would allow me to purchase items from them to include in my blind date with a book gift sets. Everyone I asked said yes, even if they didn’t understand my vision.
A sale is a sale right?!?!
During the holidays of 2024 I think my mom was my biggest hype girl …lol she still is!! She lives out of state and was stressed not to be able to help more. She told anyone who would listen about my business and shopped from me pretty often.
If I’m honest, I genuinely only expected to run Read Me Unconditionally during the holidays.
2025 rolled around… still no “real” job so I just kept at it.
By February I was in my first store locally. By May, I decided that I was going to give this little business of mine one year (2025) to see what I could do with it. I jumped in with both feet….I did as many in person events as possible (sometimes multiple in one day) …. I talked to people about my product constantly. Almost every store that initially turned me down, eventually ended up giving me a chance.
Over the course of a year I went from being in no stores and supporting 3 or 4 local artisans with very small orders (typically spending about $25 every few weeks) to now being in 12 stores, still doing as many events as possible, and spending thousands with over 20 locally owned small businesses, artisans, creatives, and makers in November and December! That, to me, is true success.
I’m not rich financially….but I’m so incredibly rich in heart. I’m so proud of what I’ve built… what I’m still building! I am in awe of how this little pipe dream of mine has positively impacted my community…. how it’s been able to help support my family, other families, bring awareness and free advertisement to other small businesses…. there’s just this beautiful ripple effect! That’s what its all about for me. That is my heart. This is so much more than an income.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not smooth at all … but a (mostly) fun ride!
It takes a lot to build a business. I’m writing this on December 30th, 2025 and I’m EXHAUSTED (yes… all caps exhausted). But also, happy and fulfilled.
There were (many) times that I’ve put more money into the business than I was making. My heart is also bigger than my bank account so I often did what I could to put money in local artisan pockets before worrying about my own.
Last month my car kicked the bucket on me.. I drive A LOT …. having a car that could transport books and event supplies was a necessary expense that is also a stressor for me. But it’s okay… just more motivation to succeed right?
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I run Read Me Unconditionally…. I get to create blind date with a book gift sets. Each gift set contains a beautifully wrapped new or gently used book paired with fun bookish goodies and includes one or more items created by local Western North Carolina artisans and small businesses.
I’m most proud of the connections that I’ve made. The tragedy of Hurricane Helene oddly made this place become home (I relocated here from the beach about 10 years ago). Having a community of people is so important!
And then of course just being able to give sales & being attention to local businesses!
In 2026 I’m expanding my community mindset by choosing a different local cause each month and donating a percentage of that month’s book sales.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Asheville has AMAZING food. Visit and do a food tour if you have the chance (you’ll thank me!)
Least? The traffic and construction!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.readmeunconditionally.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readmeunconditionally
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/17MRZwSK7g/
