The Greater Killeen, Tex., Chamber of Commerce hosted a double ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 18 for two businesses owned by Brianna Bergeron at 116 E Avenue D: the Scarlet Page, "a romance-focused bookstore designed to create a welcoming environment for readers," and the Little Cloud Playhouse, which "provides a safe indoor play space for infants and toddlers," the Killeen Daily Herald reported.
"I'm a romance author myself, and we don't have just a romance-based place here in Killeen," Bergeron said. "I always wanted to open up something to bring the community together, so why not a bookstore?"
The Scarlet Page bookstore opened earlier this year and features multiple romance genres. "We provide Black Love, which is a mix of African American romance and urban romance," Bergeron said. "Fantasy romance is huge right now with the fae, the vampires, the dragons." The store also carries titles that may appeal to the LGBTQ community.
The Little Cloud Playhouse, run by her sister, Kaija Bergeron, opened alongside the bookstore and caters to toddlers and infants, the Daily Herald noted. "We wanted more playmates and to bring something that Killeen didn't already have. Most times they're either at the park or at home, and this is another place they can come," Brianna Bergeron said.
Bergeron noted that opening businesses downtown allowed her to connect with the community in a new way: "You find out more about the city when you open a business here than I ever knew. I'm so glad that more and more businesses are coming down here and people are realizing Killeen is a lot more beautiful than it used to be."