Hey, all you cats and kittens, there’s a new bookstore in Bluffton. Here are the details
The Kneady Cat Books & Gifts, which sells used books and cat-themed decor and gifts, has opened in Bluffton’s Berkeley Place.
The name is a play on words and also reflects one of the shop’s missions.
“Helping the needy cats, bringing awareness to all the feral cats around here and the full shelters,” explained owner Carla Onofrio of Okatie.
Onofrio said she’ll donate a portion of her profits to Palmetto Animal League. In turn, as it did at the shop’s grand opening Dec. 11, PAL occasionally will be invited to visit with adoptable cats and kittens. Two cats were adopted at the grand opening.
“Our family’s worked with PAL for a long time,” Onofrio said. “We’ve fostered kittens from them. We’ve adopted cats from them. They rely on donations.”
The former stay-at-home mom of two children and owner of four cats said she originally wanted to open a cat cafe but wasn’t able to find an appropriate location. She had been collecting books to give her future cafe a library feel, so her new business idea materialized out of that.
The shop includes a wide range of genres, including cookbooks, gardening and sports.
“I’ve got all sorts of books,” Onofrio said, “a huge fiction novel section with lots of thrillers, crime, mysteries. A nice-sized children’s section.”
There are also gift ideas for writers like bookmarks and journals.
The bookstore is accepting donated novels and children’s books. Onofrio said she expects to have room to accept donations from other genres in the future.
Prices, in general, range from 95 cents for a children’s book to around $3 or $4 for a hardcover novel.
Onofrio hopes her customers will feel comfortable enough to linger in the store with a free cup of coffee or tea.
“If you want to have a cup and sit in chair and read a book or have a cup while you browse,” she said.
If you go
What: The Kneady Cat Books & Gifts
Where: 108 Buckwalter Parkway, Unit 2D, in Berkeley Place
Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Phone: 843-540-0973
Website: www.thekneadycat.org
Facebook: https://facebook.com/thekneadycat
Instagram: www.instagram.com/kneadycatbooks
