Olathe's Two New Independent Bookstores Split the Week Between Them

Terrie Morris spent her career teaching at Mission Trail Elementary in Leawood. She told The Kansas City Star that owning a bookstore has felt like her second calling ever since she watched Tom Hanks in "You've Got Mail." Her shop, The Reading Garden, set Nov. 17 as its opening date at 1489 E. 151st St. in south Olathe. She chose a storefront close enough to home that she could walk to work.

About ten minutes north, a 126-year-old Folk Victorian house at 101 W. Cedar St. became 3 of Cups, which KMBC reports officially opened Oct. 1. The Kansas City Star called it the city's first independent bookstore in decades. One shop is in a historic house downtown and the other is in a converted office on the south side. Their posted hours are nearly opposite, and together they cover all seven days of the week.

Seven days, two addresses

The hours tell the story better than anything else. According to The Star's report on 3 of Cups, the downtown house keeps evening and Sunday hours. The schedule The Reading Garden announced through The Star and the Olathe Daily Digest includes Monday and Tuesday and closes earlier.

By those schedules, south Olathe has the only open shop on Monday and Tuesday, and downtown has the only one on Sunday afternoon. From Wednesday through Saturday you can pick either one, and after 7 p.m. you'll want Cedar Street. The two shops cover different parts of the week because each one is set up for a different kind of visit.

3 of Cups was built for staying awhile

The Titus sisters told KMBC they opened the shop after realizing the area had no bookstore. Jasmine Titus called that "shocking." According to The Kansas City Star, twin sisters Jasmine and Starla Titus had planned to open a bookstore in retirement. When the Junk Drawer boutique put the Victorian house up for sale, co-owner Ashley Mantooth said the sisters "jumped about 20 years ahead of schedule." Starla Titus told KMBC the downtown timing was deliberate: "Downtown Olathe is really thriving and growing with new restaurants and new businesses, and so we thought, let's join the party."

The house still works like a house. Mantooth, an interior designer by trade, left the wood trim and carved details alone. Before opening, the building got a new roof, new gutters and foundation work. Here is the layout The Star described:

• Main floor: An L-shaped staircase greets you at the door. The first room holds adult and young adult books, including fiction, nonfiction, romance, historical fiction and thrillers.
• Through the pocket door: Two large pink velvet couches, a cabinet of tarot and oracle decks, and games and puzzles.
• Upstairs: The four bedrooms now hold a book club room, a children's playroom and storytime space with all of the children's books, and two rooms for staff.
• End of the hall: A balcony with seating and blankets on hooks for cooler days.
• Out front: Porch seating.

The name explains the layout. Mantooth told The Star that the three of cups is a tarot card meaning "community and love and celebration and coming together."

The Thursday-night book clubs

The book clubs are the reason to put 3 of Cups on your weekly calendar. A vintage cabinet by the front door lists each club by its "vibe," with options like plot twist, your impressive neighbors, reading for pleasure and fun for all ages. Each card shows the current title and the next meeting date. Clubs meet Thursdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and anyone can join for free, even if they bought the book somewhere else. When the shop opened, the Johnson County Post reported plans for six monthly book clubs.

Book clubs that meet in someone's living room can use the rental program instead. Mantooth told The Star that a group can check out 10 copies of the same book for $50 and return them within four weeks. Anyone who wants to keep their copy pays for it at the end.

The owners have more ideas for the house. In October, The Star reported that they were pursuing licensing for a main-floor coffee shop serving mostly drip coffee, matcha and tea. Further out, they hope to turn the residential kitchen into a commercial one and the basement into a speakeasy-style bar with its own entrance and a stage for poetry slams or acoustic open mics. Mantooth summed up the goal: "We want it to be a community space."

The Reading Garden is built for the weekday regular

Morris's shop on East 151st St. started as a typical corporate office. The Star described the renovation as wood ceilings, green and white tile floors, sage green walls, pendant lights, and wooden tables and shelves. She took over the space in July and started renovating in August. Her family helped, too. Her daughter designed the signs, her daughter-in-law suggested the ceiling, and her son built the lockers.

Two back rooms show who the shop is meant for. One has comfortable seating for book clubs and for shoppers who want to sit and read. The other has a table and chairs for remote workers who need somewhere to go. That second room fits the schedule: Monday and Tuesday hours, and closing at 6 or 7 p.m. most days.

The shelves are arranged differently, too. Some sections go by genre and age group as usual. Others follow national lists, with shelves for the Today Show, Oprah's and Good Morning America's picks. "I'm kind of one of those people that likes to go against the grain just because I can," Morris told The Kansas City Star. Morris or her family and friends choose every title. Shoppers can also suggest books, and Morris calls the approach "community chosen."

Morris also watches prices closely. She told The Star she skips books that would cost a shopper $75. The one exception is a collector's set of the Harry Potter series at $133. Besides books for all ages, the shop carries gifts, candles and plants.

Morris has said she wants The Reading Garden to employ neighbors who are looking for a reason to get out of the house and some flexible work. "I don't want somebody to commit to everyday all-day," she told The Star. "Just come and work with me."

Which shop for which errand

Taken together, the two shops cover different needs:

1. A weekday afternoon of reading or laptop work: The Reading Garden on East 151st. It's open Monday and Tuesday, and its back room was set up for remote workers.
2. A Thursday evening with other readers: 3 of Cups, where the clubs meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and are free to join.
3. A Sunday afternoon browse: 3 of Cups is the only one of the two open, from noon to 5 p.m.
4. A private book club that needs ten copies: The 3 of Cups rental program.
5. A gift for someone who reads whatever Oprah or the Today Show picks: The Reading Garden's book-list shelves, with candles and plants nearby.
6. Kids who want a storytime corner: The upstairs children's room at 3 of Cups.

Fitting both into December

The holiday calendar makes it easy to visit each shop. The City of Olathe's Mayor's Christmas Tree Lighting is Friday, Dec. 4, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Olathe Downtown Library, 260 E. Santa Fe St. The event includes music from the Olathe Civic Jazz Band, crafts and Santa. 3 of Cups is open until 8 p.m. that Friday, so you can browse the Cedar Street house before the tree lighting.

For gift shopping on a weeknight early in the week, head south. The Reading Garden's Tuesday hours run until 7 p.m., when the downtown house is closed.

Both stores mostly share news on Instagram, at 3 of Cups and The Reading Garden, so look there for book club picks and seasonal hours before you go.

At The Red Bow Standard, we love it when a new shop becomes part of a neighbor's weekly routine. If you're picturing your own weekday stop for a book or a Thursday book club, let's talk about the corner of Olathe that fits that routine. Schedule Your Strategy and start your Red Bow experience.