Kaleidoscope Books & Sundries, offering a variety of books and gifts, opened earlier this summer at 353 Hambley Ave. in Pikeville, Ky. The Appalachian News-Express reported that co-owners Ella Smith and Greta Heintzelman Slone "founded the business with the community in mind. Their goal was to create a space for people to learn and relax."
"We want to be inclusive and allow everyone a third space to come and be," Slone said. "We just want more of that in our region.... I think we need it in our communities, in our nation, now more than ever."
Slone pointed to a recent rise in new independent bookstores, with several opening in eastern Kentucky: "I think people are seeking truth, and I love that people are trying to find it out for themselves. The most important thing you can do is inform your own mind and form your own opinions."
After traveling the world, the owners decided to stay in Appalachia to pursue their business. "This is our love letter to our community, to our mountains," Slone noted. "We love being here. Appalachia is so rich and enriched by its people.... We are so unique and beautiful... All cultures are different, so that means there's no culture like ours."