Above: Aurora Booktique is now open at 900 N. North Avenue in Fairmont. It will be opened today and Saturday from 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. to celebrate its grand opening.

A new bookstore in Fairmont, Aurora Booktique, is having a grand opening today and tomorrow from 9 a.m.- 7 p.m. The store is located at 900 N. North Avenue and is owned by Katherine Clymer.

Clymer said Aurora is really three companies under one umbrella. Aurora Publishing publishes books, including children’s and non-fiction; Aurora Booktique is the physical store, offering books and other gift items; Aurora Books is the online store, found at aurora-books.com.

Clymer has lived in Northrop for the past 10 years, but her booktique had previously been located in Spirit Lake, IA.

“When Covid hit we just pulled everything into storage. We kept the publishing going and were able to keep the projects we already started going,” Clymer explained.

She said when she was able to re-open, she didn’t want to go back to the Okoboji area. Her husband, John, asked why she didn’t consider Fairmont.

“I hadn’t seen anywhere here that I wanted to move into,” Clymer explained.

She found the spacious brick building on N. North and is currently leasing it.

Clymer plans to have a mural of a big bookshelf painted on the front of the building and she’d to utilize the yard to hold events.

As for books the store will offer, Clymer said they carry the top 20 books, but she said people can also message her through Aurora-Books Facebook page and request books.

She said they also carry other popular books and collectible books, such as first addition Harry Potter books. Because they have some collectibles, there is a mix of new and old books. At the online store, Clymer said they have E-books, but she herself prefers the classic book.

“We also carry independent authors and local authors. If somebody has written a book and they’re trying to sell it on Amazon, then they need to get a hold of the local bookstore because we do events. We’ll put the book on our website,” Clymer said.

She said they have a book recycling program where people can bring their used books in. The books are then donated to different organizations.

“We also have specials for teachers and daycare,” Clymer said.

As she’s a small business owner, Clymer sees the importance of shopping local.

“You can buy most of these books on Amazon if you want to, but Amazon doesn’t support the girl scouts, boy scouts and the local elementary programs,” she said.

After the grand opening, hours for the booktique will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed on Sundays. Clymer has other events coming up in the fall, including a writer’s conference which will take place in Fairmont.

Clymer’s excited to bring her booktique to its new location in Fairmont. She looks forward to connecting with the community over a shared love of literature.

“I love when people come in and they’re looking for something, and I can recommend

them a new author,” Clymer said.