Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Cake and Sandy Loomis.
Kimberly and Sandy, please share your story with us.
Enchanted Passage started out as a forgotten dream. When I was younger, I wanted to open a bookstore/children’s party place. Sandy had ambitions of some day owning an artistic collaboration that was very community centered, It took a 1 pound little miracle to bring a dream to fruition.
Kristiana Grace was born at 24 weeks weighing just 1lb. 5 oz., and life as we knew it changed. After a year and a half in and out of hospitals recovering from surgeries and infections, it was time to find a career change. I had been a teacher since graduating from college, and Sandy (my mother) was ready to retire from mental health.
In March 2016, we began brainstorming what we would want Enchanted Passage to look like, what kind of mission we would want it to have, and looking for a place to open it in. In June, we went to the American Bookseller’s Children’s Institute Conference in Orlando, Florida with grand ideas and a plan, but no place yet. Shortly after that, in October of 2016, we found our perfect location in Sutton. MA. An 1824 house with a labyrinth of rooms was on the market, and although we were drawn to the striking salmon color, once we walked through the door of the sun porch and meandered through the rooms that once held Vaillencourt Folk Arts, we knew we had found the right location. We began the process of building out as soon as the sale of the house was final, hoping to be open by Halloween, but it took us just a bit longer. December 2, 2016, we opened in time for the annual Chain of Lights that our delightful new town has, and it has been a daily adventure since then.
Enchanted Passage is a bookstore that is focused on fostering and developing a love of literature in all age groups, from infants to young adults, and have a small but growing adult section as well. Each room is themed and dedicated to a certain genre, with all age levels within each area. Our focus area, where the check out is, rotates themes monthly to highlight upcoming holidays, traditions and special events. The Time Machine is a collection of historical fiction and non-fiction. Adventure Isle, guarded by our own singing pirate, Captain Jack, houses classic and modern adventures, superhero stories and pirate tales. The Outer Limits has science fiction, dystopian novels, and fun alien and robot themed fiction as well as space related titles and science experiment books. Mystery manor is dedicated to mystery and suspense on one side of the room, while the other is filled with general fiction for all age groups that don’t fit in any specific genre. Princess way leads to Fantasy Forest and Fairy Tale Castle where you’ll find princess, fairy and mermaid titles as well as fractured fairy tale picture books and novels. Fantasy forest, located on the other side of the castle is lined with fantasy titles, a full shelf of dragon related titles, other creatures, Harry Potter, Spirit animals and more.
The sunporch is home to our animal books, our local author shelf, and our specific adult area, as long as toys, sticker books and more.
The blue room is a collection of non-fiction titles, our focused writing section, sports, graphic novels and a small spiritual section. The Hallway is filled with educational and informational resources for parents and teachers. We will soon expand to have more teacher supplies in time for back to school. Kristiana’s Korner (named after my daughter) is for toddlers, preschoolers and early elementary children with engaging books and toys, including many Melissa and Doug items that facilitate cognitive and fine motor development. Finally, we have our creative space in the “school room” that has cookbooks, cooking toys, art supplies and more. It is also in here that we have many of our author events and birthday parties. Recently, we have been utilizing the outdoor space to be able to expand the size of special events and presenters.
As we have become established in the area, it has been important to us to support the community we have become a part of and try to do that, however, we can. We are delighted to have a number of staff members volunteers who help to make it a warm and inviting environment. Daily, we continue to be discovered by new families. We hope to continue to grow and meet more friends and customers soon through different events and offerings.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Like they say, life is what happens when you are busy making plans! As with any venture, there have been some bumps in the road as we opened and became established. We are still working on getting known by others in the area, which can make it very slow at times. During the winter we had to close a few days a week to combat this. We try to offer a variety of programming and events to bring in customers daily. We love meeting new families and hope it continues to build.
Our advice for others is to find people to be supportive when you are feeling unsure if you should have started this venture! Be patient when your timeline doesn’t quite match with others who may be helping you, or when waiting for the paper process to be completed. Have faith that you have a great idea, and it will work eventually! And take the time to stop and enjoy the accomplishments and the excitement that comes with seeing your dreams come true! It is definitely hard work at times, but you could be creating a legacy that will be there long after you!
We’d love to hear more about Enchanted Passage Children’s Bookstore and Enrichment Center.
We love to find just the right book for the right reader, especially the reluctant reader. It just takes one little spark for the right book or item! We have a variety of creative events, story times, workshops and family events such as parent/child paint nights. It has been a joy to combine our talents to make it feel like a destination and a growing family. I’m proud that we welcome children of all abilities to come and share their joy for books and stories here, and that we have had a number of volunteers who share their own special talents. We are proud of the birthday parties and themed events that we get to create a whole new magical environment, from princesses and fairies to space and even the human body themes! The sky is the limit!
Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
Joining professional organizations, such as ABA (American Booksellers Association), NEIBA (the New England Independent Booksellers Association), the ABC American Bookseller’s Children’s, Indie First and our local Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce has been invaluable. It has helped us meet others who share similar triumphs and frustrations, create a support network when you need to ask a question of someone and just to have a mentor who can give you guidance and information when needed. Going to conferences and asking lots and lots of questions is very helpful as well!
Contact Info:
- Address: 145 Armsby Rd
Sutton, MA 01590 - Website: www.enchantedpassage.com
- Phone: 508-841-5437 (841-KIDS)
- Email: bookstore@enchantedpassage.com
- Instagram: Enchanted Passage
- Facebook: EnchantedPassage LLC
- Twitter: EnchntedPassage
Image Credit:
Kimberly Cake
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