INTERVIEW: Boozy Bookish Babes are writing the book on a community-focused love of reading
**This article originally appeared in our May 2026 issue**
Photos by Elissa Ebersold
“The group is also continuously blown away by the number of people they can reach who, just like them, see reading as a great escape.
In today’s fast-paced world, it can feel like the pages are flipping at double speed. But there’s a trio that makes a concerted effort to slow down, crack open a book, and get lost. Gabi Stampfli, Ashleigh Goss and Priscilla Gardner are Boozy Bookish Babes, an Upstate New York book club centered around all things reading.
Gabi is a lover of fantasy, fiction, and the increasingly popular romantasy genre. While she’s based in Albany now, she’s originally from Brazil. Having moved to America about six years ago, she eventually found herself in the property management industry. When she’s not working or spending time with family, she’s reading. While she’s being pulled into the magical world of the ACOTAR (A Court of Thorns and Roses) series, or a book featuring a hidden identity trope, Gabi enjoys a crisp glass of wine or a rich cup of Café au Lait.
Next, there’s Ashleigh, the self-proclaimed millennial dog mom who lives in Troy and grew up in the East Greenbush area. Ashleigh manages a barber shop and is a barber herself. But when she’s not reaching for the hair tools or her dog Dobby (named after the deeply loyal house-elf himself from the Harry Potter series), she’s reaching for her next read. Lately, she’s also found herself dabbling in the fantasy and romance realm, but she says her heart will always belong to thrillers. Regardless of the genre, she prefers to dive in while relaxing by a body of water with a London fog, iced matcha, or a glass of prosecco in hand.
The third founding member of the club is Priscilla. She resides in Mechanicville and works in human resources. She calls herself a gym rat, but outside of work and the gym, she’s passionate about devoting time to her friends and, you guessed it, reading. Priscilla won’t say no to a good romantasy read, especially while cuddled up on the couch with a hearty tea or a dash of wine and the fireplace going.
These three characters serve as the foundation of Boozy Bookish Babes, a book club that was born out of a natural love of reading between three friends. While they admit that there wasn’t a lot of thought behind its creation, the pieces started to fall into place once they got the ball rolling. The trio thought, ‘Why not create a social media account to talk about books?’ On their account, which has a very cozy, eye-catching appeal to it, they incorporate each of their distinct personalities into the fun videos they post about books, local coffee shops, and restaurants. The group is also continuously blown away by the number of people they can reach who, just like them, see reading as a great escape. This connecting link is something they hold near and dear to them, as it’s the common thread that weaves the trio together. So they had faith when deciding to take another leap, this time deeper into the heart of the Capital Region community.
“We kind of transitioned to, ‘It would be nice to actually meet people in person and create connections,’” Gabi said.
Boozy Bookish Babes held its first in-person event in February. The mini book fair, named “P.S. I Read You,” served as a way to get local book lovers together to connect and have fun with raffles, giveaways, a book swap station, and, of course, a complimentary drink. It was during this fair that the club’s mission expanded into a greater community-driven initiative. Besides the books, the real stars of the show were the local vendors who partnered with B.B.B. for the Valentine’s Day-themed event. As locals, Ashleigh says it’s always rewarding to see small businesses thrive.
“The more lights that are on them, the more likely your favorite places are to stick around,” Ashleigh shared. “I personally love a small, quaint, family-owned business versus going somewhere that has no personality to it. So, if we can play a role in trying to keep it alive, why not?”
Lake Bound Bookstore was one of the businesses showcased at the mini book fair, and it also happened to be the store’s first external event outside of their brick and mortar shop in Averill Park. Co-owner Amanda Goyer said this sort of collaboration means everything.
“To have their support just helps us with reach. They are trusted in the space of book expertise, and also they’re just a really fun community group. We like to associate with people like them to build brand loyalty and trust,” Goyer said.
She recalls their initial meeting where the four of them discussed over coffee how they could reach their goals together.
“We just talked about how we could collaborate because we obviously both share a love for books, the community, and bringing people together around books,” Goyer shared.
Together the two entities will do just that at the club’s next in-person event on May 17 at Lake Bound Bookstore. The occasion will feature a discussion of the assigned book of the month and the opportunity to craft a DIY flower bouquet.
To learn more, follow @boozybookishbabes on Instagram. To become an official member of the book club, click on the “Become a B.B.B.” highlight on their Instagram page.
