When Star Lowe opened her Market Street bookstore late last year, she was shocked at the multitude of coloring book options available. She ignored many of them – initially.
“I thought ‘I’m opening up a bookstore. I don’t want to spend most of my first dollars on coloring books,'” she says. “Hindsight being what it is, I wish I had sourced a few more. But what I did [purchase] did really, really well.”
As more and more adults of all ages rediscover the simple joys of a coloring book, the range of intricate and interesting coloring book styles has grown exponentially.
“From cats to cities to intricate mandalas and shapes,” says Lowe. “You can really find almost anything.”
Why the sudden turn to books of half blank pages? The answer is two-fold, the store owner postulates: nostalgia, and the opportunity for a creative outlet, even for the non-artistically gifted.