Arkansas has dynamic independent stores around the state, including, since the fall of 2021, Pearl’s Books, a beautiful place just off the downtown square in our town of Fayetteville.
Pearl’s, which just celebrated its one-year anniversary, is owned by Daniel and Leah Jordan. Daniel and Leah began to think about opening the store after the owner of Fayetteville’s beloved Nightbird Books retired and the store closed in Febraury 2020. During the pandemic, like many people, Daniel and Leah began thinking about what they wanted to do next.
It has been a lively location since its opening, positioned as it is near the Fayetteville Farmer’s Market, The Lights of the Ozarks, art walks, popular restaurants, and more. The store is also next door neighbors with the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Oral and Visual History. The Pryor Center is a cultural touchstone for Northwest Arkansas, frequently hosting programs and book talks, at which Pearl’s regularly comes to sell books. Recent programs have included University of Arkansas Press titles Remote Access: Small Public Libraries in Arkansas, Reporting for Arkansas: The Documentary Films of Jack Hill, and Race, Labor, and Violence in the Delta: Essays to Mark the Centennial of the Elaine Massacre. A program for Stateswomen: A Centennial History of Arkansas Women Legislators, 1922-2022 is scheduled at the Pryor Center on December 6.
Pearl’s will also be selling Dairy Hollow House Soup and Bread: A Country Inn Cookbook on November 27 at an event for the book at the Fayetteville Public Library.
Daniel and Leah have welcomed local artisans to sell their wares in the store, they have a rigorous social media presence covering everything from a silent book club to regular posts on the pets who visit the store, and they cultivate the warmest vibes imaginable with other Arkansas independent booksellers across the state, the former owners of Nightbird, and the famous, massive used bookstore in town, the Dickson Street Bookshop.
Daniel regularly visits the press offices to talk books, and he keeps a robust selection of our books in stock, roughly 100 books.
“Supporting local authors and local stories,” Daniel said, “is really important, and continues to become more so. We want to make sure local folks have a place to sell their books, handmade goods, and food and drink.”
The store also makes a concerted effort to stock books by people of color, queer folks, and stories that are representative of all people
“Lastly,” Daniels said, “we say ‘yes’ a lot! This has allowed us to expand our footprint beyond just our store. We have been able to ‘pop up’ and sell books from places like TheatreSquared, a church, and even an alley off of Block Street. We’ve gained so many customers this way, since we’re getting the word out to folks who may or may not have heard of us on their own.”
To learn more about Pearl’s Books visit pearlsbooks.com, where you’ll find, on their home page:
Reading helps us understand more about ourselves and the experiences of others. It helps us escape, empathize, explore, and grow. Through reading, we learn to be our best selves, create our best lives, and better care for those around us, regardless of circumstance, and that certainly seems worthwhile.
We couldn’t agree more and we look forward to working with Pearl’s in its second year as one of the state’s wonderful independent bookstores!