Red Fern Booksellers Profile

This past Spring on May 19th, Red Fern Booksellers officially opened its doors to the public for the first time. Located in downtown Salina on Santa Fe Ave, the business has flourished since opening day, and continues to see success. 

Harley Hamilton, the store’s owner, talks a little more about the store and his mission when he first opened the bookstore. Red Fern’s mission is “to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all members of our community in which to nurture a love of reading, engage in thoughtful conversations, and foster empathy.” Being in downtown Salina, Hamilton is excited to “be part of the local fabric that brings a community together, offering a place to discover your new favorite book or browse the latest bestsellers, travel books, cookbooks, and all the things we need to help us dream and create.” Since Salina previously did not have a bookstore and the nearest place to find an indie bookstore was Wichita or Lawrence, Hamilton wanted to change that. 

The bookstore has not only been a popular place for the Salina Community, but also Kansas Wesleyan University students as well. Many students enjoy going into the bookstore to look for something new to read, or just to check out what all Red Fern Booksellers have to offer. Charlee Lind, a student at Kansas Wesleyan, says that she enjoys going to the bookstore because “of the chill environment and because there’s a large selection of books to choose from to read.”

Not only does the bookstore sell a variety of genres of books, but also a variety of handcrafted goods that consist of “gift wrap, stationery, greeting cards, candles, puzzles, games, and art.” Hamilton adds that “greeting cards and stationery are probably the biggest selling sidelines.” Red Fern Booksellers also brings “new art into the store to just test it out to see how it does.”

Red Fern Booksellers also hosts a variety of events that include “book clubs, book signings, author chats, poetry readings, and children’s story times.” Those who are interested in learning more about any of the events happening should check out their social media pages on Instagram and Facebook at @redfernbooksellers and the Events calendar.

Red Fern is also excited for their big event coming up in October where they are hosting a VIP reception in the store for US Poet Laureate Ada Limon.