WAILUA — There is a new bookstore off of Kuhio Highway in Wailua next to JC’s Flowers called The Womb Bookstore (TWB).
On Saturday, Oct. 31, TWB will have their grand opening ceremony with the lei untying at noon.
“We will be reading a scary Halloween book to the keiki every thirty minutes from noon to 6 p.m. and free candy bags will be given out to patrons all day,” said Keri Cooks, owner of TWB. “For the finale of our grand opening, we will be learning something new.”
Cooks said Kaua‘i Athletic Club’s dance instructor, Sire McClennahan Fromboluti, will be teaching his version of the iconic dance to Michael Jackson’s Thriller starting at 6 p.m. Kids and adults are welcome to join in on the fun.
The Womb Bookstore is a boutique bookstore that specializes in books that make a person think. The store has books for children and adults specially curated by the owner.
The store also sells crystals, sage, journals, and incense. The bookstore is also an event space with the goal of inviting the community to learn and grow together. Future events will be held indoors and outdoors permissible by law.
Cooks worked in the oil and gas industry for six years as a geophysicist. She visited Kaua‘I for a month in 2019 and noticed there were not many bookstores on the island, which reminded her of her childhood dream of being a librarian.
With the downturn of the oil and gas industry Cooks decided to start a new life as a bookstore owner in paradise and create the space she was looking for.
Cooks believes that people were created to learn.
“As babies, we come into the world as a completely blank slate,” Cooks said. “We learn everything from how to talk to walk, etc. That education continues for the rest of our lives, we learn how to write, drive a car, do calculus. Somewhere along the line, we get busy, life happens, and we forget about the joys of learning.
“The Womb Bookstore gives patrons the opportunity to return to that sense of curiosity and read about topics like love, astrology, nature, and philosophy,” said Cooks.
Cooks said the bookstore will also host book clubs and discussion forums giving people the opportunity to exchange knowledge.
Tickets for this Saturday event cost $20 for each person and registration is at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-womb-bookstore-presents-lets-learn-to-dance-tickets-126757947433.
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Stephanie Shinno, features, education, business, and community reporter can be reached at 245-0424 or sshinno@thegardenisland.com.
