Terrie Morris has spent the past few decades shaping young minds. For 46 years, she taught elementary students, including 35 years at Mission Trail Elementary in Leawood.

Recently, she retired from the classroom. But soon, a new venture of hers will pass on knowledge in a different way: through books.

Next month, pending some finishing touches, Morris will welcome readers (both kids and adults) into her new bookstore. The Reading Garden will open in Olathe in November, offering books and plants.

The Reading Garden is coming to 1489 E. 151st St.

• The shop is taking over a space at the Indian Trails shopping center just off 151st Street and Ridgeview Road in Olathe.
• There, it will be next to Pizza Tascio, which opened in August.
• Though regular hours are still being finalized, The Reading Garden will likely operate from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. or 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

The Reading Garden will be part bookstore, part plant store

When customers first walk in, they’ll find the plants near the store’s big windows, soaking up the natural light. The plants will come from Linwood, Kansas-based Free State Growers.

Then they’ll find the bookshelves, stocked with both new and used selections. Morris plans to include a variety of genres, gathering feedback from former teacher friends, family and the community about what they’d like to see.

“I really want to try to get information from the people that come into the store, (as far as) what they want to read,” she said.

The store will also offer some gift items like candles, shower steamers and lotions.

Beyond the shelves, the shop will offer other features like a children’s play area and meeting and reading spaces in the back.

Owning her own bookstore has been a longtime dream for Morris, one she can trace all the way back to the 1990s romcom “You’ve Got Mail” starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, centered on the budding romance between two rival bookstore owners.

She’s also always loved plants, growing tomatoes and herbs in her own garden at home.

Though the Kansas City metro area has a decent amount of independent bookstores (including 3 of Cups, which recently opened in downtown Olathe), southern Olathe doesn’t have much to offer there, Morris said.

A southern Olathe resident herself, Morris is looking forward to changing that.

“There’s no place around here like this,” she said. “I’m hoping that it’s something that people really want.”

The Reading Garden will open in mid-November

Morris has been hard at work turning the Olathe storefront, formerly a staffing agency, into a reading and plant sanctuary. The goal is for the space to feel peaceful, calming and welcoming.

“That’s what everybody that’s walked in here for the first time has said,” she said. “That’s kind of my goal, for people to be really comfortable in here.”

Bringing The Reading Garden to fruition has been a familial operation. Members of Morris’ family have all pitched in, from putting together furniture and counters to painting the light green walls.

Her son Aaron has helped build shelves and plant stands. Her daughter, Andrea Corless, designed the shop’s sign and logo. Her 8-year-old granddaughter, Brianna, has already volunteered to come read to younger kids at the shop on weekends.

“We kind of all got involved, which is really cool,” Morris said. “The support has been phenomenal.”

Soon, the sounds of light fixtures going in and paintbrushes moving across the walls will be replaced with the hum of chatter as customers hunt for their next read — or as they gather to chat about the books they all love. (Morris hopes to host book clubs there, too).

“I think there’s a lot of people out there that just want a community connection,” she said. “I’m just excited about getting to know different people and talk to people and their experiences, and you know, learn what they like to read.”

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