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Local teachers turn hobby into business
Biz jungle jakes opens
Many Liberty County residents, business owners, Liberty County Chamber of Commerce members and book enthusiasts attended Jungle Jake’s grand opening. - photo by Photo provided.
Local teachers Jason and Dakhine Lee have always enjoyed reading, and now they have channeled their passion for books and comics into Jungle Jake’s, a new business in downtown Hinesville.  
“Jason gets excited about comics, but I have always just loved books,” Dakhine Lee said.
When Jason Lee saw the store space he said he knew it had a lot of potential. He had a vision to turn the store into a “cool little shop” where people who love to read could buy books at half the cost of other retailers. He also wanted comic book lovers to have a new place to shop at downtown.
“We really want this place to be an extension of the community and we have a lot of events planned to get folks involved.  We have an awesome downtown district,” Jason said.  
Upcoming events include a children’s book club, book readings, Saturday science workshops and an adult book club. Vicki Davis, director of the Hinesville Downtown Development Authority, said, “Jungle Jakes is a welcome addition to Hinesville’s historic district. We are excited that Jason and Dakhine selected the downtown area for their novelty book store. It is a great contribution to HDDA’s goal of establishing downtown Hinesville as a cultural arts and entertainment district.”
Several Liberty County Chamber of Commerce members and staffer attended the store’s grand opening.  
“These are the kinds of things I like to see happening in our beautiful downtown — retail!” said chamber Executive Director Kenny Smiley. “If you bring retail businesses to downtown, the whole area will begin to flourish with foot traffic.  Not only will retail establishments benefit, but the downtown service industry as well.”
Jungle Jake’s has an eclectic inventory, with a wide selection of used books, games, comics and comic accessories.  Some titles are rare and out of print.  Book inventory comes from book sales and from customer trade-ins. New comics are delivered weekly.  Customers can expect to see their favorite comics as well as graphic novels.
So far, Dakhine said, mystery thrillers are doing well, as are classics and, of course, comics.  “Our customers are so excited about the new comics that are in.”
Jungle Jake’s is on Commerce Street and its hours are 10-4 Tuesday through Friday.
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