The Kaleidoscope in Hampton, Iowa

April 05, 2006

Keri Holmes moved from Winterset, Iowa, and opened The Kaleidoscope in Hampton on March 1, 2006, for a number of good reasons: She thought that residents having to drive over two hours for a good selection of books was unfair; she had observed what a successful independent bookstore entailed, as well as what it meant to the citizens of Winterset; and her sister and niece, business owners in Hampton, were nagging her to join them. As an experienced graphic designer, writer, and printer, Holmes wanted to combine those services, along with packing and shipping, photo restoration, digital prints, and Internet auction services, with a general bookstore. The result is The Kaleidoscope, which bears the slogan "Our Focus is You."

Keri Holmes

Holmes' first step toward bookselling came in 2001, when she moved back to Iowa from the Chicago area. She began writing reviews for the local newspaper and became friendly with Karen Brookhart, owner of The Corner Bookstore Company in Winterset. Holmes was running her design and editing business when, in 2004, her niece opened The Pomegranate home decor and gift store, 120 miles northeast in Hampton. She began writing Pomegranate's newsletter and developing store events, and by the winter of 2005 she was spending more time in Hampton than in Winterset. That's when family pressure, from her niece and her sister Marjan, convinced her that a move to Hampton was imperative. Holmes' experience with The Corner Bookstore Company had sparked her interest in bookselling, and she decided that Hampton could also benefit from a local community bookstore.

Holmes, who took early retirement from a large corporation in 1999, is pursuing her desire to "tell stories in words and pictures." The Kaleidoscope is "first and foremost an independent retail bookstore," but Holmes continues to offer design, editorial, and photography services.

The store offers one thousand titles to the town's 4,300 residents, Holmes told BTW, but with a laugh she admitted having "no idea" what the store's square footage is. "The back shelving units are on wheels," she noted, "so I can push them back if I need the room." Over 60 people attended the store's grand opening on April 1, which featured a visit from Curious George and story times for adults.

Eleven of Hampton's specialty stores in the immediate downtown area, including The Kaleidoscope and The Pomegranate, have formed a confederation called Cluster Marketing, under the auspices of The National Trust for Historic Preservation's Main Street Center , which is dedicated to revitalizing commercial districts. The stores offer a host of special shopping events -- for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Sister/Friend Weekend, and a women's Poker Run/Shop Hop.

Holmes told BTW that the downtown group is effective, because "in Iowa there's a real commitment to keeping our small towns alive. People want to support the towns, and they know that to do that, they have to shop locally. People can bring an item here with receipt from any of the other partner stores, and I'll discount the gift-wrapping 20 percent."

The Kaleidosope is a general bookstore that specializes in "extraordinary" books, said Holmes. She describes them as "carefully selected for their content and beauty ... which delight your eyes, feel good in your hands, and stimulate your mind." Holmes culls these from new releases and midlist books that might be on the shelves at many bookstores, but are too easily overlooked. Current extraordinary books include 300, a graphic treatment of the Battle of Thermopylae, by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley (Dark Horse); Ann Jonas' reversible book for young children, Round Trip (HarperTrophy); and titles in the Sourcebooks Shakespeare series. She combines these with Book Sense picks, displayed with quotes, and posts the Book Sense bestseller lists.

Said Holmes, "We've only been open a month, but I'm having a great time. I'm excited about using our new Book Sense gift cards, telling clients that they can send them to people in Wyoming, as well as here in Iowa." --Nomi Schwartz

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