A 126-year-old Folk Victorian home in downtown Olathe has a new life as 3 of Cups, an independent bookstore that officially opened to the public on October 1 after a soft launch for friends and family. The shop sits at 101 W. Cedar Street, right next to the Junque Drawer boutique, and its owners say it marks the first independent bookstore to open in Johnson County in decades.
The store is co-owned by Ashley Mantooth and twin sisters Jasmine Titus and Starla Titus, according to The Kansas City Star. Mantooth works full time at the shop, while the Titus sisters, who both work at Black & Veatch, take turns covering weekend shifts. The twins reportedly moved their bookstore dream up by about 20 years once the right building became available, per the same account.
Before it became a bookstore, the house had already spent years in retail use. It operated as Holiday House, a seasonal home decor and holiday shop run by the neighboring Junque Drawer, according to Junque Drawer Studio. Junque Drawer sold the Victorian home this year, and the new owners spent weeks renovating the property, the Star reports, replacing the roof, gutters and foundation while preserving the home's original wood trim and carved detailing.
A Soft Pink Heartbeat for a Historic House
Inside, the walls are painted a soft shade the owners call romance pink, a color choice they describe as the visual heartbeat of the house, according to Johnson County Post. Two large pink couches anchor the main floor, which also holds a room dedicated to young adult and adult titles spanning fiction, nonfiction, romance, historical fiction and thrillers. Shoppers will also find tarot cards, oracle decks, games, puzzles and book-themed gifts throughout the store, per the Star.
The name itself carries intentional meaning. Three of Cups is a Minor Arcana tarot card that, upright, symbolizes friendship, community gatherings, creative collaboration and shared celebration, according to Labyrinthos Academy, with the card traditionally depicting three maidens raising their cups in celebration. Mantooth told the Star the name refers to community, love, celebration and coming together, and she said the home received new roofing, gutters and foundation work to prepare it for the next 50 years.
Upstairs Bedrooms Become Book Clubs and Play Space
The home's four upstairs bedrooms have been converted into a book club room, two employee workspaces, and a children's play and storytime room, per the Star. A customer reading balcony rounds out the upper floor, complete with blankets for cooler days. The store runs several themed book clubs organized by reading vibe, which meet Thursdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and remain free to join even for readers who bought their book elsewhere.
For groups that want to read together without everyone buying a copy, 3 of Cups also offers a book club rental program: 10 copies of a single title for $50, with a four-week return window. Mantooth said the overall goal is for the shop to feel like a comfortable community space built around books, coffee, cocktails and food.
Coffee, Cocktails and a Speakeasy Still to Come
That vision is still taking shape. The owners are working on licensing to open a coffee shop on the main floor, with plans to serve drip coffee, matchas and teas sometime this fall, according to the Star. That will require converting the home's residential kitchen into a commercial kitchen, and the owners intend to turn the basement into a bar with its own separate entrance.
The basement concept leans speakeasy, with a stage envisioned for poetry slams or acoustic open-mic nights, per the same report. For now, 3 of Cups is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Joining a Growing Shelf of Regional Indie Bookshops
3 of Cups has been accredited as a member of the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association, a trade group supporting independent booksellers across nine Midwestern states. Seven Stories is in Shawnee, and The Kansas City Star has described a surge in boutique book venues across the suburbs.
Independent bookselling has deep roots in Johnson County. Rainy Day Books, founded in nearby Fairway in 1975, celebrated its 50th anniversary in November 2025, according to the Johnson County Post. The new shop's arrival also lines up with broader civic investment in downtown Olathe, which has recently gained a new public library branch and a new Johnson County Courthouse, alongside plans for greenspace at the former courthouse site, part of city and county efforts to draw more foot traffic and housing downtown.
The timing also tracks with a national rebound in physical bookselling. The American Booksellers Association had 2,433 members, and around 192 bookstores planned to open in the next few years, according to Fast Company. U.S. print book sales reached 782.7 million units in 2024, a 1% increase over the prior year, a rebound the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ties partly to BookTok culture and renewed demand for physical third-place gathering spots — a demand 3 of Cups is betting its pink couches and reading balcony can meet.
