Monarch Books & Gifts in south Overland Park (almost Stilwell) is the kind of place where it just feels like the right thing to do to pull up a chair, order a coffee, and start reading that book which has been lurking on the nightstand in the “ready to read” pile for so long! This adorable shop, nestled in the array of shops at 151st and Metcalf, serves up some mighty good coffee to enjoy with the wide array of books available and the clever, hard-to-resist gift items spread throughout the store. 

Owner Christin Young has decorated the boutique store with a fun “book wall” with fanned open book pages, and a window full of books stacked nearly to the ceiling. Christin always wanted to recreate a New England-style book store, and she has done that in her now-home, Overland Park. There is also a cute little kids’ nook reading area, complete with comfy bean bags and a cozy afghan. The dream of being a small business owner started about five years ago, when the single mom opened Monarch. Unfortunately, the dream turned into an abrupt nightmare in April of 2024 when the shop became the victim of some massive online fraud. 

Someone somehow hacked into the financial processing software she used for all of her financial transactions – paying rent and utilities, selling books, paying invoices, everything. It wasn’t until the utility company threatened to shut off services for non-payment that Christin knew anything. Everything looked like it had been going smoothly in her finances for months: until it wasn’t. Thousands of dollars had been siphoned off, and there was no way to recover it. Then, adding insult to injury, her father passed away in August of 2024 before she could visit him after five years of not seeing him. Seems like a great time to throw in the towel and walk away. But, that’s not what Christin did – she pressed on. 

Friends helped her start a Go Fund Me page, where a plea was made to help her keep the store open with donations. Customers, friends, and family rallied, and she has been able to make ends meet with the help of their generosity. Christin has also expanded the kind of programming they do through the store, including book clubs, workshops, author visits, and partnering with schools and libraries. She also created a fun coffee menu based on book lore and titles, and she has a used book section. Customers are welcomed to bring in gently used books or purchase others’ contributions at a great discount. 

Christin maintains that there really is a silver lining to all of this chaos in her life. She has discovered a work/life balance that she didn’t previously have, she is amazed at the response from people who came to her aid and supported her, and she has learned to be better equipped with IT issues and passwords! Christin wants people to know that her shop is the place to come for a happy vibe, a good book, some time away from the bustling world, a great cup of coffee, and a sense of humor. Believe it or not, Christin still has her sense of humor intact, and her selection of gifts bears that out – we found some wonderful items that we hadn’t seen elsewhere. Supporting indie bookstores is something we can all get behind to keep a treasured way of life unscathed by big competitors. For more information, go to monarchbooksandgifts.com.

Featured in the January 25, 2025 issue of The Independent
By: Anne Potter Russ