Turning Pages: A New Chapter Begins as Downtown Welcomes Indie Bookstore
by Jessica Buchholz, Events Coordinator | June 18, 2024
With shelves brimming with tales waiting to be discovered, cozy corners beckoning for quiet contemplation, and the promise of fostering a thriving literary community, Middle Ground Books is poised to become more than just a place to purchase books; but a place where stories unfold, friends meet, and memories are made.
Store owners: Megan, Debra, and Lance, have been hard at work for the past month getting the space ready at 606 Commercial Street.
Middle Ground Books will offer a wide variety of genres for readers of all ages and will also carry Spanish-language and bilingual offerings for their customers. The store will have an assortment of gift items such as stationery, journals, candles, lotions, drinkware, games, puzzles, plush toys, jewelry, and stickers.
After moving to the community over a year ago, the ownership team was surprised to find that Emporia did not have a bookstore.
“Emporia is a university town with a vibrant downtown and thriving art community–what about books and literature? There’s a local press as well as writers’ and poets’ groups, but no bookshop,” explained Debra. “We talked to various community members who all missed having a bookstore. And the more we considered this, the more we thought, why couldn’t we open a bookstore?”
Soon after, the team enrolled in Emporia Main Street’s Start Your Own Business Class in the fall of 2023 and Competed in the Show of Hands Competition sponsored by Emporia Main Street this Spring.
“None of us had ever really started a business before, so the things we learned from SYOB and the support we received at Show of Hands were invaluable to us,” explained Megan. “It was such a comfort to know that we could ask Casey (Emporia Main Street) and Lisa (Kansas Small Business Development Center) for help, and they were very encouraging throughout the whole process.”
Emporia Main Street Executive Director, Casey Woods, has been looking forward to Middle Ground Books opening ever since the ownership team shared their concept in the Start Your Own Business Class.
“We are excited to have a new unique retailer downtown. The Middle Ground Books team are graduates of the Start Your Own Business class, they pitched at this year’s Show of Hands event, and they took advantage of local resources to revitalize a space and serve a local need, said Woods. “They have put in a tremendous amount of work, and we think locals and visitors will love this new downtown business!”
Middle Ground Books will also feature a small snack bar with baked goods, a tea service with a selection of fine Ahmad teas, and coffee showcasing Gravel City Roasters’ for people to enjoy as they browse.
As the final touches are put on the store, Middle Ground Books prepares for a busy June. They will be hosting a book signing with local author Debra Irsik on Friday June 14th at 6:30 pm and hosting a soft opening for family and friends on June 15th.
The official Grand Opening will take place at 606 Commercial Street on Friday, June 21st from noon to 8 p.m., with a ribbon cutting set for 12:30 pm. Middle Ground Books would like to invite the community to take part in their celebration with specials, promotions, shopping and more!
For more information on Middle Ground Books, please visit middlegroundbooks.com, on Facebook at @middlegroundbooks or by phone at (785) 614-3643.
For more information on the Start Your Own Business Class or the Show of Hands Competition, please contact Emporia Main Street at [email protected]
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