BURLINGTON, N.C. — They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
While the books at Persnickety Books in downtown Burlington may be old, they might soon give new life - and a second chance - to people coming out of prison.
And second chances can be hard to come by. Just ask Debbie, or Kasi. It's been several months since they've been released from North Carolina prisons. Debbie served more than 25 years, and Kasi served three.
Now, the women work at Benevolence Farm in Alamance County.
"They deserve a second chance. They deserve to work and live and thrive like all the rest of us," said LaShauna Austria, executive director of the farm.
"If you would've asked me six months ago - the day I got out of prison - if I would've come this far, and done good this long, I would've argued with you. I didn't think it was possible," Kasi said.
"It's like the weight of the world had been uplifted," said Debbie, "There’s nothing like getting up in the morning before the sun comes out, going outside, listening to the animals...I’m just seeing things that I haven’t seen in forever."
Persnickety Books is partnering with the farm and Sustainable Alamance to expand the opportunities afforded to people like them.
"We get judged. A lot of people think, oh well you was in the prison system, so you're not a good person," Kasi explained.
"That's what we need - people that are willing to give us a hand up. None of us want a hand out," Debbie said.
New owner, and mayor of Burlington, Ian Baltutis says the bookstore is raising money grow their business online, as people turn to the Internet to seek out secondhand books. That means they need more hands on deck, opening another door to a second chance.
"When folks come out of prison, there are programs that help them and support them in finding housing and getting back on their feet, but if they can't find sustainable employment, then all of that is usually for not," he said.
"We are able to engage the community in a way that if we were just selling books we wouldn't be able to," said manager Darren Miles, "For them to have changed so much, and actually served at that time, it seems awful that they can’t acclimate to a normal life again."
Customers carefully searching the shelves know that if they take their time, they could stumble on something great.
Kasi and Debbie hope people will take that time, to get to know them - now, free from incarceration.
"People can see that we are not what we did. We are people who made mistakes," Debbie said.