Wandering on 2nd Avenue

The grand opening is still a few days away, but the shelves are stocked and customers are welcome at The Wandering Jellyfish Bookshop, a new children's bookstore at the corner of 2nd Avenue & Franklin Street in Niwot. On July 31 owners Carissa Mina and Jerrilyn Patterson opened their doors for a "soft opening," and were thrilled with the initial response from the community.

"We've had a lot of people come in today, and everybody was a customer," Patterson said. "They purchased something and chatted a little bit, and it was really nice. Everybody seemed really excited and was wanting to support us."

The Wandering Jellyfish caters to readers under 16, and offers everything from board and picture books to the latest young adult series. Many of the titles are from Colorado-based authors and illustrators, including Denise Vega ("If Your Monster Won't Go To Bed"). Both Mina and Patterson have strong ties to that group, and are eager to highlight them on the Wandering Jellyfish's shelves.

"We're just so grateful to have all the support that we have from our author and illustrator community," Mina said.

The store also carries a colorful inventory of puzzles, games, stickers, and other gifts for the young bookworm in your life.

"Our biggest seller today was a Ruth Bader Ginsburg tote bag," Patterson said.

"We sold four, and just had to order more," Mina added.

The grand opening celebration is slated for Friday, Aug. 13, starting with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. There will also be "schwag" giveaways, an appearance by a local author, and ice cream from The Sweet Cow truck, starting at noon.

Mina and Patterson are looking forward to their big day, but laughingly admitted that there is still "a lot of backroom stuff" on their to-do list. The pair is also in the process of designing the window displays and putting the final touches on the interior decor. And new book shipments are arriving daily, meaning there should be something for every young reader when the time comes.

"It will be all full, and everybody can just pick their favorite," Patterson said.

The Wandering Jellyfish Bookshop (198 2nd Ave., Niwot) is open Tues. - Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. For more information, visit them on Facebook (@twjbookshop), or contact them at [email protected].