YUMA, Ariz. — CJ Alberts knew Yuma needed an independent bookstore .

She grew up in the southern Arizona town, and after moving back from Portland, Oregon, a few years ago, she set out to create the space she wished she'd had as a teenager.

"I would have benefited so deeply from a space like I've created and like I had access to in Portland, when I was a teenager here," Alberts said.

That's why two years ago this August, Alberts opened Sunny's Book Truck, right in the heart of downtown Yuma.

Sunny's Book Truck did start as its namesake: Alberts originally sold used books out of a Japanese minitruck at farmers' markets and pop-ups. While the truck still makes an appearance from time to time, the brick-and-mortar space is where community members gather to find their next great read, or

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