ROANOKE, VA – A new bookstore opening in Roanoke next weekend is bringing more than just books to the community - it’s bringing opportunity.
3 Balloons, a local nonprofit, will hold its grand opening on Saturday, November 1, at 10 a.m.
The organization’s goal is to provide meaningful employment for people with disabilities.
Director Steve Stinson tells 10 News, it’s a group that faces an 80% unemployment rate nationwide.
3 Balloons will focus on children’s books and serve as both a bookstore and a workshop, where employees will create handmade products from repurposed materials.
The store plans to open with about 20 employees who will help design and produce items like jewelry, trinkets, and crafts made from recycled materials, as well as run the shop and bookstore.
Beyond books, 3 Balloons hopes to build community and awareness by giving people with disabilities a place to work, learn, and connect.
The shop will be the only bookstore in the Roanoke Valley devoted entirely to children’s literature.
Director Steve Stinson and Sophia Pearce, an employee, joined us in the studio on Saturday to tell us everything they have to offer.