'Wonderful' grand opening for Wandering Jellyfish Bookshop

With a clip of the scissors (and a little tugging), Carissa Mina and Jerilyn Patterson cut the ribbon on a dream that's been more than five years in the making. On Aug. 13, the co-owners celebrated the grand opening of The Wandering Jellyfish Bookshop, Niwot's newest destination for young readers.

"Things are going wonderfully," Mina said as customers streamed into the cozy space at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Franklin Street. "There has been great excitement, and it's been a great turnout. The community just seems really happy and excited about what's happening. It's been wonderful."

The crowds showed up early for the store's ribbon cutting at 10 a.m., and didn't stop showing up until closing time at 5 p.m. In between, shoppers browsed the packed shelves, enjoyed treats from the Sweet Cow Ice Cream truck, and entered a "Name the Jellyfish" contest for the store's adorable mascot, who will also star in a forthcoming book by Mina and Patterson. Unfortunately, the one and only glitch on the day was the malfunction of a second payment processing station, meaning the checkout line was a little longer than anticipated. But that didn't seem to dampen the mood of shoppers, who waited patiently with their selections tucked into Wandering Jellyfish drawstring bags, part of the "schwag" on offer for the celebration.

"Last night, we stayed a little later and made sure everything was perfect, and the shelves were stacked, and we knew the process for getting the shelves filled again," Mina said. "My business partner's daughter, Ella, has been here just helping all day fill the holes, and she's been doing a great job."

Indeed, as the store's only employees, Mina and Patterson relied on friends and family to help with the shop's opening. In addition to Ella, Mina's husband served as IT manager, and Patterson's son helped with some literal heavy lifting. The pair plan to hire another employee, but will have a hard time replacing the enthusiastic labor provided by Ella and Mina's daughter Sophia, who also helped keep things running for the grand opening.

"Our daughters have both been a huge help to us in getting ready to open," Patterson said. "Both of them are avid readers, and they love books, so it wasn't too hard convincing them to help. Though I'd be lying if I didn't say there wasn't a tiny bit of bribery involved too."

With the grand opening behind them, Mina and Patterson are turning their attention to a busy fall calendar. On Aug. 20, they will announce the winning entry in the naming contest

Thanks to their extensive contacts in the local author and illustrator community, the store has a full slate of in-store appearances lined up, starting on Aug. 21 with Colorado-based writer Wendi Silvano, whose latest book "Turkey Goes to School" was released on Aug. 1.

"She'll be doing a signing, a reading, and she'll have some activities," Mina said. "And she's also going to be doing a picture book workshop for adult writers."

In fact, more than a dozen local writers or illustrators have dropped by the store since its "soft opening" on July 31, and Patterson is hoping to have them all back for a signing. Scheduled so far are Jessica Speer ("BFF or NRF"), Andrea Wang ("The Many Meanings of Milan"), and Ana Crespo ("Hello Tree"), to name just a few.

"'Hello Tree'... is a beautiful picture book inspired by the 2013 Black Forest fire in Colorado Springs, " Patterson said. "Told from the perspective of a tree, it explores the important connection between humans and nature with skill and care. We are so lucky to have so many talented writers and illustrators here in Colorado."

Mina and Patterson also feel lucky to be in a community that embraces books, reading, and creativity.

"We just want to thank the Niwot and surrounding communities for the amazing show of support for our little bookshop," Patterson said. "Our hearts are so full, and we hope to be a community hub for many years to come."

The Wandering Jellyfish Bookshop (198 2nd Ave., Niwot) is open Tues. - Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.- 6 p.m., and Sunday by appointment. For more information, visit their website at twjbookshop.com or on Facebook (@twjbookshop).