A local entrepreneur is setting out to make the city of Alliance an eccentric tourist destination.
Sherry Groom is the owner of Camelot Community Project, an ongoing effort to bring tourists to Alliance. She purchases run-down buildings downtown and transforms them into quirky, artistic shops with the help of local artists and architects.
So far, there’s the Troll Hole Museum, which displays the largest collection of troll dolls in the world. The latest project is a Camelot-themed castle, where patrons can dress up as knights and battle with cardboard swords.
Sherry also runs a nonprofit called Arts for Alzheimers, which inspired the project to begin with.
“Art is therapeutic for people with dementia and their caregivers," Groom said. "We’re using tourism to support the arts, then spread our message about dementia.”
Sherry and her husband are planning future projects in the downtown area, like an escape room and a pet boutique. She wants local entrepreneurs to get involved and open their own quirky destinations in the remaining buildings.