POCATELLO — A traveling bookstore called St. Rita’s Amazing Traveling Bookstore and Textual Apothecary will visit Portneuf Valley Brewing in Pocatello on Sunday.

Rita Collins, the owner of the bookstore, explained that her shop is inside a van. The van has bookshelves that hold around 600 books. She is based in Montana but has traveled to 30 states. She is passing through Idaho while she travels to a book festival in South Dakota.

“This is the first time I’ve been to Idaho,” she said.

Collins explained that she has been operating the bookstore for eight years. She started the bookstore after she retired from her teaching career.

“I thought about starting a bookstore in the town where I live,” she said. “But it’s a very small town, and I realized it wouldn’t work.”

She explained that she came across someone in Wales who owned a traveling bookstore who helped her get started.

“I corresponded with him and he gave me some ideas,” she said. “I worried that it wouldn’t work, but now here I am in my eighth year and I’m enjoying it.”

St. Rita’s features a wide variety of books. Collins explained that about a third are fiction. Genres include children’s, westerns, cook books, spirituality and even books in other languages. She also explained that all of her books are used.

“I have about 600 in the bookstore and in the back I have boxes of extra books,” she said.

Collins explained that she does her longer trips in the spring and fall. Her favorite part about operating a traveling bookstore is seeing different parts of the country and meeting new people.

“I really like getting to talk to people,” she said. “The people I talk to tend to like books or are curious about what I’m doing. They tend to be really nice people.”

Another reason Collins loves operating her traveling bookstore is that she feels like she is following her dreams.

“I think people should be encouraged to follow their dreams,” she said.

The bookstore will be at Portneuf Valley Brewing, 615 S. First Ave., from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. More information about St. Rita’s Traveling Bookstore can be found at facebook.com/amazingtravelingbookstore.