‘Overwhelming in the best way possible’ reception to new bookstore prompts move

Only half a year after opening Blush Bookstore at the Garage at Cleveland Corner retail incubator space, Jaclyn Wooten is moving her bookstore into permanent space at Revolutsia.

“Literally, from day one, it’s just been an amazing amount . . . of support from the community,” she said.

“We felt a little experimental in our concept,” Wooten said of her fantasy romance theme. The reception “by far exceeded expectations.”

She said that “the great thing about the Garage program is flexibility, obviously, so when the time is right you can make whatever moves you need to.”

Wooten is moving Blush from First and Cleveland to the one-time Little Lion Cafe space in the cottage at Revolutsia, a shipping container development on Central between Grove and Hillside.

Part of the allure with the charming space is a working fire place, she said. That and the fact that it’s “a cottage and cozy, you really can’t beat it.”

In the short time the store has been open, Wooten said she’s had customers from far beyond Wichita.

“We have a lot of people traveling from states away that are driving here to see us,” she said. “We’ve become a destination location.”

She said she’d like to create more of an overall experience for them with a unique location that has dining options nearby. Revolutsia “was just kind of a perfect fit with that in mind.”

The store is jumping from about 300 square feet to about 1,000 square feet.

“We’ve been able to do a lot in our 300 square feet,” Wooten said.

As she looked at new spaces, some were too big, she said.

“We still want it to feel cozy.”

Wooten is working on the new space now and plans a Sept. 30 grand opening.

She said the time to move is either before or after the holidays.

“Never during.”

Wooten said she chose now because “through the holidays, it would be great to have a little more space (and) bring in a little more product.”

The Blush online store is now open, too.

Between the local support and the stories she hears every weekend of people traveling from surrounding states, Wooten said, “It’s pretty overwhelming in the best way possible.”

This story was originally published September 11, 2023 at 4:47 AM.