SIDNEY — Colleen Sadler had dreams of opening a store in downtown Sidney for some time. On June 1 she made the dream come true. The store is named Silver Linings Booktique and, although it is now open to the public, it will have a grand opening soon.
“The artist part of me has always wanted to open a store in a historic area, and I love downtown Sidney. I love the architecture. It’s beautiful, and it’s so rare to have so much architecture in one place like that,” said Sadler.
Sadler heard of the space being open by word of mouth and went to view it. She knew right away that it would be a great place for a bookstore. It reminds her of Shop Around the Corner, a black and white movie with Jimmy Stewart.
Realizing that not everyone is a “book person,” Sadler will offer more than just books.
The store will also be offering art, floral arrangements, and candles. Sadler is the only distributor of Swan Creek Candles in the area. They greet you with a sweet aroma as you walk in the door and offer a fine accompaniment as you browse the displays.
Sadler is looking to serve the downtown area by offering something unique that may not be readily available in the area. Her intention is to begin by offering items for children and for decorating children’s rooms and nurseries, but she doesn’t want to be too narrow in her focus. Her interests are varied and she is open to providing what the community needs.
In sixth-grade Sadler was chosen to attend an art critique in Columbus. After high school, she was accepted to Columbus College of Art and Design but was unable to attend, but she has continued painting on her own.
“My goal is to eventually stock a lot of books, and we offer coffee. We have a chair and a couch where people can come in and sit and drink coffee and visit,” said Sadler.
She wants to offer a place where you can come in and purchase a book or journal to take with you to the park. In the future she hopes to provide a place where new books can be purchased for gifts and used books can be purchased for personal use.
“The thing with a downtown business is that you have to wait and see. A downtown business is different from businesses anywhere else. You don’t know who shops downtown, where they come from, and what they need,” said Sadler.
Sadler grew up at Indian Lake but has relocated to Sidney. She hopes to see more shops open downtown. The shop is located at 128 E. Poplar St. across from the courthouse.
