bookstore | Delta Digital News Service

Hundreds attend Barnes & Noble grand opening

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Avery Jones

Bookstore returns to Jonesboro after closing in 2020.

Delta Digital News Service

Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024

JONESBORO, Ark. – The long-awaited grand opening for the new Barnes & Noble bookstore was held in Jonesboro on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Jonesboro has been without the chain bookstore for four years, ever since the former Barnes & Noble in the Turtle Creek Mall was destroyed by a tornado in March 2020.

In 2020, Barnes & Noble announced that it wouldn’t be returning anytime soon to Jonesboro because of the unfavorable economic climate. Store business was destroyed during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the company stated that they would search for alternative locations when “normal retail conditions return.”

A few small locally owned bookstores such as Verb Bookstore in Jonesboro, Weber’s Book House in Paragould, and Eclectic Geekery in Walnut Ridge popped up during Barnes & Noble absence. While many people missed Barnes & Noble with its large selection and variety, Northeast Arkansas didn’t suffer a lack for literature.

Haag Brown Commercial stated in January 2023 that Barnes & Noble was slated to return soon. They had closed a deal on the former Pier 1 building. Originally, the opening was planned for November 2023. However, due to delays in construction, it was pushed back until February.

Hundreds of customers packed the store during the grand opening. The new venue possess many of the features of big box stores are known for including signature coffee shops such as Starbucks.

Ella McMasters, 13, Barnes & Noble patron

Thirteen-year-old Ella McMasters, a book lover who used to shop at the Barnes & Noble in the Turtle Creek Mall, was enthusiastic about the bookstore opening again. When the bookstore wasn’t around, she would go to the library for books.

“I’m super excited because there’s some books here that wouldn’t normally be at the library…” McMasters said.

“I’m super excited because there’s some books here that wouldn’t normally be at the library…”
Ella McMaster, Barnes & Noble shopper

Another shopper, Solicia Little, was there with her son Jordan Wilson. She said they had missed Barnes & Noble and had been waiting for a while for its return. When it was gone, they mainly shopped at Target for their books.

Solicia Little (right) and Jordan Wilson (left), patrons

“We’ve been waiting, we’d drive by every so often and kind of peep. When I saw all the cars today, I was like, Yes, they’re open, we’ve got to go!” Little said.

Linda Vinson, a frequent patron of the former Barnes & Noble before it closed, also missed the bookstore. She shopped at Target for her books as well after Barnes & Noble closed. She also went to the Barnes & Noble in Little Rock sometimes.

“That’s why everybody’s here today,” Vinson said. “We all missed it. A college town without a bookstore, I mean, what’s up with that?”

Chris Bolick, the store manager, has worked with Barnes & Noble for six years. According to him, the process of getting the store ready was a year in the making and took about three weeks after the store was ready to prepare it for opening.

“Once COVID passed, they had always wanted to come back to this community ever since the tornado, so when the opportunity came up, Barnes and Noble jumped on it,” Bolick said.

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Avery Jones is a junior in the Department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. She can be reached at: avery.jones@smail.astate.edu

Business

Verb Bookstore & Café opens

Posted on January 20, 2024 by deltadnews

Bookstore reopens after buying out Story Coffee House

Delta Digital News Service

By Caroline Averitt | Contributor

Saturday, Jan. 20, 20204

Jonesboro, Ark. – Verb Bookstore reopened yesterday after being closed for the past two weeks for renovations. The newly renovated business now includes a coffee bar.

Last month, the bookstore announced via social media that it would merge with Story Coffee House to become Verb Bookstore & Café.

Owner Sari Harlow said she hopes this change will help create a hub for the community.

Sari Harlow, owner of Verb Bookstore and Café works the register during the business reopening yesterday. The new business, a merger of Verb Bookstore and Story Coffee House reopened after recent renovations.

“Books and coffee, they go hand in hand,” Harlow said. “But there are definitely customers from Story that maybe wouldn’t have just walked into Verb on their own, and vice-versa. So, I think we’re going to be able to really grow and expand our community.”

She said the space will still be open to customers who want to study or work.

“We still have free Wi-Fi. We’ve still got quite a bit of seating but we’ve kind of cozied things up. So now, there’s some more couches, some more cozy sitting areas, but then we do still have some of the tables and chairs as well,” she said.

“We still have free Wi-Fi. We’ve still got quite a bit of seating but we’ve kind of cozied things up. So now, there’s some more couches, some more cozy sitting areas, but then we do still have some of the tables and chairs as well.”
Owner Sari Harlow

Harlow said the menu for the coffee bar will be similar to Story’s menu with reduced food items at first, but she hopes to tweak the menu to offer a wider selection in the future.

Bethany Davis, former co-owner of Story Coffee House, said when she and co-owner, Lindsey Spencer, were ready to step away, Harlow was wanting to expand.

“It was just the perfect full circle moment for her to take over,” Davis said.

She said there are many things she will miss about owning Story, but she can still enjoy her favorite parts about it, like drinking coffee and talking to people.

“The original goal of (Story) was for it to be sustainable on its own and for Lindsey and I to step away, and so we got that. I mean, it’s different, but it’s still there,” Davis said. “The menu is what I created, the bar is what we created, the space is what we had originally created. So, it’s a little bit different, but it still has those aspects of Story.”

The bookstore kept any Story Coffee House employee who wished to continue working after the merger.

Braden Ross, a barista at Verb, said he wanted to stay after the change because he enjoys seeing regular customers and wants to see them enjoy the new space.

“(Harlow) really put an emphasis on keeping the same sort of vibes (from Story Coffee House), just with the addition of lots and lots and lots of books,” Ross said. “She’s just so focused on keeping that sense of community and that safe space in Jonesboro the same and recultivating it a bit to include even more people, to include book nerds, as we like to call ourselves, and customers.”

Shelly Gage, an employee of Verb, said she feels like she has a lot more space after the change.

“As the person who buys the books, I can meet a lot more needs than I could next door because we had such a tiny space. Especially with our new built-in shelves, I can just kind of go crazy with book buying,” Gage said.

Verb opened in 2020 as a pop-up store in which Harlow sold books at local festivals and businesses. In 2022, Harlow began renting Suite A at 801 S. Gee St.

Now, Verb is located in Suite C, which formerly hosted Story Coffee House. The business also includes a meeting or event space in Suite B and a storage area in Suite A.

Harlow said there are still changes that need to be made, but she wanted the reopening to be a gradual transition.

“We wanted to be able to get back to serving our customers and the community as quickly as possible. So, what we’re focused on is, ‘Let’s get up and running’ and then we can kind of polish it up as we go,” she said.

Harlow said independent businesses make up the heart of a community and she hopes Verb can be a unique business that gives back.

“Our mission is to read books, share stories, and connect communities, and we believe love is a verb,” Harlow said.

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