The Middletown resident converted a vintage 1961 Studebaker Champ into a portable book store that now pops-up around Newport County
Andi Bailey is living a dream come true. Her mobile book shop, Flatbed Fiction, sits atop a vintage 1961 Studebaker Champ, oftentimes parked outside of a local coffee shop or among booths at outdoor artisan markets. Its custom-fit shelving carries everything from romance (Andi’s personal favorite) to horrors and thrillers. Whether it’s beachside for a sunset reading session or popping up at a local farm for berry-pickers to browse, Flatbed Fiction always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
And yes, it has already gone viral on TikTok.
Her pop-up book shop is a recent addition to Newport County, born out of a time when she was between jobs and exploring her options in 2024. Andi studied English at Georgetown and, like any true English major, had dreams of opening her own bookstore. While she was job searching, her adorably vintage truck was listed on Facebook Marketplace.
“If I didn’t do this now,” she recalls thinking, “I didn’t know when I’d have the opportunity to do it.”
In less than a month, she had shelving built and installed in the truck bed, and Flatbed Fiction rolled up to its first pop-up at Grafik Coffee in June 2025.
While Andi may be a natural introvert, her favorite part about Flatbed Fiction is how it’s an organic conversation starter. “There are a lot of women who have a dream of opening a bookshop,” she says. Many of her customers will discuss such dreams with Andi, in awe of her creation and perhaps even more shocked that she works a full-time remote job in addition to this creative venture.
(Working five days a week remotely in her Middletown home, she calls Flatbed Fiction her “touch-grass” escape.)
For now, Andi is enjoying the ride. “I don’t have a goal or something that I’m necessarily working towards,” she says. “It’s really about popping up where I can, meeting people and having something that I love to do.”
You can find Flatbed Fiction at plenty of spots around Newport County, including the Norman Bird Sanctuary’s annual Harvest Fair. For the most up-to-date information about where Andi’s parked, follow @flatbed_fiction or visit her website at flatbedfiction.com.
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This is the latest installment in our ongoing series spotlighting women-owned businesses. Read last month’s feature here: “The Cherry on Top: New Ownership Stays in the Frosty Freez Family”
