Every Thursday leading up to Christmas, KAKE News is traveling far and wide throughout Kansas to help you find the best local places to shop this holiday season. The series is called Shop KAKEland.
This week, we're headed to Salina to visit a cool and quirky spot called Ad Astra Books & Coffee House.
At Ad Astra, you'll find a chalk board full of flavors, and shop full of friends.
"We always just wanted it to be very homey," says Owner Tammy Jarvis. "We want you to feel comfortable when you walk in, we want you to feel like you belong here."
Jarvis is one of several creatives who opened the combination book and coffee shop about 10 years ago.
Now that she's the sole owner, she has kept the shop's eclectic feel.
"Ad Astra has really turned into a cultural hub for Salina," she says. "Not only are we the only local book store, one of the few local coffee shops, but we also are an event venue. We do lots of open mics, author readings, musical events, things like that. We're just now starting to get back into that after COVID."
"We have an event called 'The Open Jam,' where we bring different people in here to sing," says Mike Gebhardt, a patron-turned-employee. "We have an event called 'Say What,' which is an open poetry."
From performances, to books, to a good latte, Ad Astra tries to offer a little something for everyone.
Located in Salina's downtown, Jarvis says opening the shop was a risk.
"When we picked this location, I think that it was sort of visionary at the time," she says. "It didn't seem logical for what was going on at the time, but we just really believed that something bigger was gonna happen. There was starting to be this bubbling underbelly of creatives and people that were interested in bringing some art and culture to Salina."
The shop also embraces the art of giving back.
Every month, Ad Astra creates a special "Cause Latte," and one dollar from each latte sold goes to help a local charity.
As Salina's downtown continues to grow, Jarvis says she's glad Ad Astra is here to grow along with it.
"It's been important for Ad Astra to remain optimistic and to bring our community together through good times and difficult times and that's really what has kept us going all this time," says Jarvis.
Right now, Ad Astra is located at 141 N. Santa Fe Ave. in Salina. In the new year, there are plans to relocate right next door.
Tune into KAKE News at 5 every Thursday leading up to Christmas to see more editions of Shop KAKEland.