Ope and Fable opened on April 25 in Jefferson, Iowa, the Jefferson Herald reported.
Located 121 N. Chestnut St., on Jefferson's town square, Ope and Fable is half bookstore, carrying general-interest titles for all ages, and half market focused entirely on products made in Iowa, such as apparel, mugs, candles, sauces, and snacks.
Owner Meredith Fetters has lived in Jefferson for nearly all of her life and has wanted to open a store on the town square for years. For a long time, Fetters told the Jefferson Herald, she couldn't quite decide if she wanted to open a bookstore or have a general store. "Then I decided I'm just going to do both. It's been a pretty long journey."
While searching for a suitable space, Fetters traveled around Iowa to small businesses, farmers markets, and vendor shows to compile a list of Iowa-made products and build relationships with suppliers. That step of the process lasted a little over three years, and eventually she found an ideal spot in a building on the square.
"I try to read everything, a little bit of every genre, and I'm big on supporting local small businesses," Fetters said.