Kids Ink Books & Toys, Indianapolis, Ind., will expand to Carmel, Ind., this fall with the opening of a second location.
 |
|
| Kate Fitgerald (l.) and Wendy Fitzgerald | |
The new store will reside at 22 N. Rengeline Rd. in Carmel's Arts & Design District. It will carry a curated selection of children's books, along with toys and gifts, and there will be a particular emphasis on baby and young-child gifts. The store will have about 1,000 square feet of retail space, including a storytime area and craft tables, as well as about 1,000 square feet of warehouse space, which will be used for the store's education business, the Kids Ink School Partners program.
"Books are at the center of everything we do," said co-owner Wendy Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald and her daughter Kate Fitzgerald acquired the bookstore in 2025. "Whether we're helping a child discover the book that turns them into a reader, working with a teacher to build a classroom library, or bringing an author into a school, our goal is the same: to put great books into kids’ hands and create meaningful connections around them."
Asked what drew her to the new location, Fitzgerald called Carmel a "gorgeous community," noting that US News & World Report recently ranked it as the best place to live in the United States. "We believe that they are in desperate need of an indie children's bookstore in town!"
Fitzgerald plans to have the Carmel store open by October 15. Given the proximity to the holidays, a grand opening will wait until spring, with a local author festival planned.