Poppy Books & Gifts, which opened in December in Spanish Fork, Utah, was featured in the Salt Lake Tribune, which reported that for co-owners Karin Smith and her daughter, Whitney Gallegos, "the bond with books formed when they read together when Whitney was a child--going through such volumes as Kevin Henkes' picture books."
Their bookshop at 56 W 200 N., just around the corner from Spanish Fork's eclectic Main Street, is located inside a house built in 1930. "We redid all the flooring," Smith said. "We took out a wall and added a wall, lots of things to make it more functional."
The teal-painted walls, open windows, wooden floors and towering shelves "create a space that gives off a welcoming feel," the Tribune noted.
"It's a very warm space and I don't feel like you get that in most regular stores," Smith said. The owners hope to open a cafe area, and use the backyard space for pop-up markets and author signings when the weather warms up.
Their inventory features books ranging across many genres because they want something for everyone. "There aren't very many independent bookstores that just have new books," Smith said, adding that while there are used bookstores in the vicinity, the closest retailer selling new books is a Barnes & Noble in Orem, 15 miles away.
The bookstore prominently displays titles featuring diverse stories, characters and topics. Smith observed that it is important to diversify reading for the kids, to make sure to teach them to love everybody: "That's the fun thing about bookstores and the vibe that they give off is that everybody's different and everybody can have an opinion and feel the way they want to feel and that's okay."
Books have been a topic of controversy In Utah County recently. The Tribune reported that "last summer, the Alpine School District pulled 52 books from library shelves--many of them dealing with LGBTQ+ characters and topics. Some of those books are now on the shelves at Poppy Books & Gifts."
Smith and Gallegos said the community's reaction to their selection has been positive, and the store has attracted customers from all over Utah. Gallegos added that they have received only one piece of "hate mail," a negative Google review complaining about the store's "woke propaganda" selection.
"We're in Utah, it's very conservative, and book bans are happening all over the place," Gallegos said. "It's really important for people to have access to those kinds of books and see why they're being banned."