Children's bookstore sets up shop in Tribune building

For Carissa Mina and Jerilyn Patterson, books are magical. "They're worlds within pages, full of possibilities." This belief inspired the duo to become the proud co-owners of The Wandering Jellyfish Bookshop. The name of the shop is inspired by the picture book Mina and Patterson are creating.

After five years of considering the idea and a year of social distancing, the two women finally started to set their plan in motion. Mina and Patterson met years ago as volunteers with the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. While chatting, they discussed how they loved books and the idea of a store, and the seed was planted.

"When I first laid eyes on the Niwot Tribune building, I thought to myself, 'That is the perfect place for a children's bookshop,'" said Mina.

But between others leasing the space and a global pandemic, their goal took time to come to fruition. "In some ways, I believe COVID is the reason the bookshop was established," Mina said. "Though I was meeting with large groups of people via zoom [while earning a degree in Classics from CU Boulder], I craved a more specific and fulfilling interaction."

Patterson had a similar sentiment about wanting interaction. "I had started looking for new employment and was considering various career paths when Carissa reached out to me," she said. "Owning a bookstore intersects perfectly with my love of books, reading, writing, and community-building."

Once the Tribune building was available, they jumped at the chance and are in the thick of planning for the shop's future. While the contractor is working on a build-out, the duo are working on logistical tasks such as getting inventory, setting up/learning the sale system, establishing the shop on social media and more.

"One of our missions is to support local authors and illustrators," they wrote. "So we have reached out to our writing and illustration community and are working on scheduling book signings, launches, workshops, and other events to take place at the bookshop."

In addition to the storefront, where they will have everything from books to gifts, The Wandering Jellyfish will have a workshop space to host writing, illustrating, reading and even critique groups.

Mina and Patterson want to provide a place for people to gather, for children to connect with their families, friends and community through stories. So while it may technically be a children's bookstore, it's ultimately an opportunity for people to interact and explore. They wrote, "[Books] create empathy and encourage people to do better, to be better every day."

The Wandering Jellyfish Bookshop will open July 31, and a grand opening is scheduled for Aug. 14. You can follow and interact with the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching @twjbookshop.