WASHINGTON, N.C. (WNCT) — A local bookstore is opening its doors to students and their families in Beaufort County. Pamlico Books in Washington is now offering free college admissions tutoring for anyone who may need guidance.

The program is expected to help many students in and around Beaufort County gain a better understanding of the college admissions process. Deb and Tom Ryan own Pamlico Books and said they knew from the start they wanted to make this more than just a bookstore.

“As we decided to move into Washington, which we fell in love with immediately, one of the things that were a critical criterion for us was having a local bookstore and there wasn’t one,” said Tom Ryan.

The couple recently moved to the area and noticed the community was in need of a bookstore. However, their drive didn’t stop there.

“That’s why we are doing the college camp, to really help students figure out how to apply to college,” said Deb Ryan, who is also the owner of Empower Triangle Tutoring.

Empower Triangle Tutoring is a company whose mission is to make sure students and their families stay in the know when it comes to the college admissions process.

“Admissions today is really overwhelming and confusing so I want to make sure we can take some of the stress out of it for students and just provide access for everybody possible,” she said.

Ryan and her husband knew that when it came to the bookstore, they wanted it to offer more than just literature. That’s when they decided to do a complete renovation to the building and make it a one-stop-shop for community resources.

“My goal is really to empower students to understand the process and feel really confident about where they land,” said Deb.

She noted the community reaction has already been so welcoming to not only the program but their store as well. Also saying that they even are partnering with a local organization when it comes to the camp.

“I’m really excited to partner with Bright Futures – Beaufort County to help their mission is to really empower students and families,” Deb Ryan said.

Both saying their work is meant to be an extension of what is already being offered in the county.

“It’s really in support of all the great work that their school counselors do,” said Deb Ryan.

“When we thought about this it wasn’t just going through the thought process of which books are we going to offer but how do we knit ourselves into the fabric of the community,” said Tom Ryan.

The program will take place for 8 weeks from August 14 to October 14. Click here to sign up and see a full list of times each session takes place.