Beautywood Books

The days get cold, so we turn to each other to keep warm. Looking forward toward the rest of winter, we map out the ways we can care for each other.
Just ahead is February, the month of love. What better time to spend together virtually from the comfort of our own homes, listening to bell hook's wisdom on love in all its forms?
February 1st through 14th, we will do Instagram live readings of bell hook's book, "All About Love," each evening.
The theme for February's Book Store Open Floor event (February 7th) will also be "all about love"
Let's spend some time learning how to really love one another, why don't we? 💗❤️💗
[Image Description: a photo of a white hand holding a black paperback with the title in red: "all about love: new visions" by bell hooks. There are also butterflies on the cover. A fireplace is in the background.]

Open today at 11 so y'all can shop before heading to Caverns and Forests for brunch!!

New hours for 2024!
Wednesdays 10-6, Thursdays 10-6, Fridays 10-6, Saturdays 10-5, and SUNDAYS 1-5!
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays
[Image Description: the above text over a green background with little white vibes to either side.]

"What a terrible world, what a beautiful world."
There was space for all the heartbreak, all the joy, all the gratitude, and everything in between.

[Image descriptions: Slide 1: Photo of the exterior of the bookshop. Text reads, "In 2023... We spent our first full year as a brick-and-mortar store.  It was a wild ride. Here’s a recap.

Slide 2: a photo of a storytime and a photo of a poetry reading against a faded photo of the Rock Cities Book Crawl sticker.Text reads, "We did nine market pop-ups. We had twelve different official storytimes (and plenty of unofficial ones). We hosted 3 poetry nights. We created the Rock Cities Book Crawl along with our neighbors, The Book Store, Paper Hearts Books, Pyramid Books, and Wordsworth Books. We had our first Basement Book Sale.

Slide 3: Photos of Liv, with a photo of Liv, Jon and Jo standing together outside the bookshop. Text reads, "In March, Liv joined the Beautywood team. Now we can't imagine this place without her!!"

Slide 4: A photo of the exterior with the wheelchair ramp and a photo of the kids' bathroom mural over a faded photo of some empty custom storage shelves. Text reads, "This place got a few improvements in 2023. We got a wheelchair ramp installed. We added 5 new shelves (3 of which Jon built by hand). We painted a mural in the kids' bathroom. And started tearing up the upstairs??"

Slide 5: Two photos of an empty lot of land and one photo of Jon and Jo signing a paper. Text reads, "On the last Friday of 2023, we closed on the purchase of a vacant lot near the shop. In the coming year, we hope to bring the space to life and lay the groundwork for even better things." (Continued in pinned comments)]

Book Store Open Floor starts THIS Wednesday!!
Want to know more? Swipe through to read our community guidelines, find out what "open floor" even means anyway, and other important info for this Wednesday.
Bring your poetry, music, or any other short form creative work to share. We'd love to have you.
[Image Description: slide 1, a graphic of a stack of notebooks against a blue background next to some text. "This Wednesday! Book Store Open Floor: Poetry & More. Doors open @ 6. Sign-up 6:30. Showtime @ 7." Slides 2-5 are text over a pink background with cute little notebooks at the bottom. The text for these slides is pinned in the comments below. All slides have the Beautywood Books logo in the top right corner.]
Thanks ever to for making all this happen. 💗

Putting the Beauty in Beautywood Books.

[Image Description: a photo of the inside of the bookstore at night. Green shelves line the walls, full if books and draped with twinkling white lights. Another wooden shelf stands in the center of the hardwood floor, boasting of books and a magnificent monstera. A small snake plant sits on a little round table with a green cloth to the left side of the room. The whole thing is cozy and warm.

Maybe now is a good time to remind you lovely procrastinators that we carry gift cards. 😜

[Image Description: a photo of a Beautywood Books gift card posed on a gorgeous green blanket. A red holiday cocktail book stands beside it on the left side.]

We're trying something new in the new year: introducing our Bookstore Open Floor! Think of an open mic night at your favorite neighborhood bookstore, with a twist. Our cozy shop may not have space for a mic/speaker yet, but we've got room for everyone to express themselves.

Starting Wednesday, January 3rd, the floor is yours: share your original poetry, short prose, or acoustic music with Beauties as we build community through creativity.

Sign-ups begin at 6:30PM, and the floor opens at 7PM sharp. As folks filter in, we invite you to contribute to our collaborative prompt--and there's no better inspiration than "New Beginnings" as we kick off this new event in 2024.

[Image Description: a warm graphic of a stack of notebooks (filled with poetry, perhaps?) against a pink background nxt to some text. The Beautywood Books logo is at the top, followed by the following text: "Book Store Open Floor: Poetry & More. First Wednesdays, starting January 3rd, 6:30-8 pm.]

Justice for the olive trees. Justice for the people.
Keep clinging to hope as though your life depends on it because, at the end of it all, it does.
Our freedom is woven together.

[Image Description: a photo of a protest poster. The text of the poster reads, "Justice, Justice you shall pursue. Deuteronomy 16:20." The background of the poster shows a woman in a red dress and flowing white hijab fiercely clinging to the trunk of a damaged olive tree. The bold lettering of the text is filled in with a rough rendition of keffiyah patterns; the olive leaves in the top "Justice," the fishnet in the bottom "Justice," and a botched attempt at the bold stripes of trade routes on "Pursue" ("you" and "shall" are red and green, respectively). The "i" in Justice both times is a candle aflame.
Slides 2 and 3 show screenshots of inspirationfor this poster design. Slide 2 is a 2015 photo of a Palestinian woman clinging to a damaged olive tree with an israeli tank behind her. Slide 3 is a breakdown of keffiyah patterns. It says, "olive leaves: the olive leave pattern represents strength, resilience, & perseverance. Fishnet]

North Little Rock is THE PLACE for books today! Shop Parisa's books at Bang-Up Betty before or after you stop by our huge book sale today!!

Surprise!! Parisa still has so many books, and she’s going to stay for Sunday! Stop by from 12-4 tomorrow and find your next great read 📚

BAGS!!!!

It's long overdue, but at the basement book sale tomorrow we will premiere canvas Beautywood Books bags!!!

While supplies last, they will be available tomorrow to fill with sale books for $20! The bag and as many books as you can fit inside it for $20! The limit is one canvas bag per person, but we will also have used brown paper and plastic bags to fill for $10 or $5, respectively. Filled boxes or BYO bags will be charge based on size.

Original in-color design by reworked for screen-printing by , modeled here by our customer-turned-friend-turned-volunteer !!!

[Image Description: Doah, a long-haired bespectacled brunette white woman stands in the middle of the messy, pre-sale bookshop holding a canvas bag over her shoulder and smiling. The bag is that typical canvas beige with a black version of the Beautywood Books logo on it, three books stand in a row, covered in vines, bookended by book-shaped houses, and surrounded by a halo-like glow.]

The gratitude I feel for being able to take part in this action last night is beyond what I can express. led an interfaith group of protesters last night in calling out Sarah Sanders. Standing in solidarity with my Jewish siblings on the first night of Chanukkah to light up the dark and say that the future of Judaism demands Palestinian liberation was a blessing that I will hold dear for the rest of my life.

and have been working tirelessly too and I am immensely grateful for their leadership. Give them a follow. Listen to what their sharing. Join them--join us--in the movement for Palestinian liberation. None of us are free until all of us are free.

[Image Description: a photo of a group of people standing on a sidewalk along a busy street at night. Stephanie, a person with long red wavy hair under a yarmulke, holds a megaphone, facing a couple of people lighting a small Menorah. Others sit and stand nearby watching. Across the street, a large Menorah stands beside an American flag at half mast outside a bank.]

We are so grateful to gather on the last night of Chanukkah while grounding ourselves in a unified call for ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Israeli occupation of Palestine. 

Join us at our favorite local bookstore Beautywood Books (1704 Main Street, NLR) from 4:30-6:00PM. 

We will have the following activities to enjoy with the whole family:

-Dreidel Station
-Latkes
-Reimagining the Story of Chanukkah presentation

-Children's storytime with Chanukkah and Palestine-centered books

-Communal candle lighting

BYOM- Bring Your Own Menorah (optional). We have 20 free boxes of candles to take home!

Accessibility: The venue is equipped with a ramp and bathroom. Wheelchair access is located at the front of the building. We will have masks available. Please refrain from using scented products. All food will be labeled for allergies. 

[Image Description: a black graphic of a menorah surrounded by poppies, the lit candles spell out CEASEFIRE, the base of the menorah says NOW.
The text on the graphic reads, "Taste of Olam Haba invites you to Chanukkah for Ceasefire Now, December 14, 4:30-6:00 pm. Latkes, Menorah lighting, storytime."]

Play happens here. ❤️

[Image Description: a photo of the children's room at Beautywood Books. The hardwood floor is partially covered with a bright multicolored interlocking foam mat. Plants are on the counter. The happy tulip mural is peeking out from inside the bathroom. Liv, a white femme in a cozy sweater, sits on the mat beside a child, playing with stackable wooden "stones"]

Foodies and crafters, note that these are just a few boxes of what's going into our massive book sale on December 10th from 1-5 pm. 😳

[Image Description: three standard "Lowe's Small" cardboard boxes stand stacked one on another inside the bookshop. They are labeled "Cookbooks," "Cookbooks," and "Crafting & Cookbooks"]

So. Many. Books. We've got them. You want them. And on December 10th they'll all be for sale for $2 or less!!! Mark your calendars and clear your schedules for this massive sale!

Most of the books on sale that day will be books that have NEVER been on our shelves before!

[Image Description : a yellow and blue graphic of a stack of books behind text that reads "Basement Book Sale December 10th 1-5 pm, 1704 N Main St, North Little Rock. Thousands of books, everything $2 or less. Fill-a-bag discount. Tons if popular authors!"]

Beautywood Books Used book store on Main Street in NLR, Arkansas. Open Wednesday- Friday 10-6 and Saturdays 10-5.

Peddlin' our wares.
has always been handy, but lately he's been channeling that handiness into creative carpentry projects. Currently, he offers custom postcard shelves like these ones he made to display his own postcards (another original). He's working on some other neat projects as well!

[Image Description: a photo of our outdoor booth at St Joseph Center Farm. Tables draped in deep green decorative green cloths hold scores of books. Green boards with little wooden postcard shelves displaying sepia images bookend the center table. Jon, a bearded white man wearing a crocheted purple hat and and yellow blanket draped over his shoulders, smiles from where he sits behind the table.]

Today is a day.

Learn. Hug. Read. Recharge. Eat. Reckon.

We are not free until everyone is free.

[Image Description. A white hand holds up three books in front of a leafy background. Top to bottom, the books are The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi, How to Slowly K ill Yourself and Others in America by Kiese Laymon, and Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.]

Our hours this week. We will be closed Thursday for family time, but open for our normal hours all other days. You can catch us at St Joseph Center's Merry Market on Saturday, as well as in our store!

[Image description: an autumnal image serves as the background for the following text: Wednesday 10-6, Thursday CLOSED, Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-5 in-store, & at St Joseph's Merry Market 11-3]

BOOK SALE!

We're having our first-ever HUGE book sale Sunday December 10th from 1-5 pm! Rain or shine, get the chance to browse the THOUSANDS of books that haven't ever made it onto our shelves. Every single book will the priced at

Open today until 6 pm!

[Image Description: a photo of the front Fiction room at Beautywood Books. Four different shelves are partially visible. On the left, a tall wooden shelf displays books on endcap displays, a wooden corner shelf sits snugly in the corner holding books on its triangle-shaped shelves. A white under-the-window shelf looks especially cheery with its plants and books. In the right corner, a green shelf stretches high, full of books.]

If you've been to our store before, we'd love your honest feedback on Google!

Beautywood Books would love your feedback Post a review to our profile on Google

Our first round of Pride Book stickers is finally available!!

Vinyl stickers are $3 each!

Don't see your flag colors? Comment below to tell me which flags should be our next designs!!

P.s. not gay? That's okay. Our gorgeous logo sticker is also available for $3.

[Image Description: photo one: four white circle stickers with colorful designs positioned around a rainbow planter. Propped up against the planter, one says "BOOKS" six times, in rainbow color and order and the other says "BOOKS" four times, in black, gray, white, and purple. The sticker to the left is in burnt orange, light orange, white, pink, and magenta. All stripes but the white one say "BOOKS". The last sticker says "BOOKS" six times, in blue, purple, and pink colors. Photo two shows off the Beautywood Books logo circle sticker, which is a row of books covered in vines, looking like houses, backed by a cozy glow.]

Vintage photo postcards, $5. Read the full caption for the story behind them!

When we opened a bookstore, we didn't expect that rescuing the 1920s photograph collection of a US Navy sailor from a dumpster would be part of the job, but life (and running a small business) is full of surprises.
A man walked in one day this summer with a briefcase full of old photos he'd found in a dumpster. He hoped that perhaps the purveyors of used books would appreciate them for their historical value and want to preserve them as much as he did, since he didn't have the means to himself. He was right. The photos were incredible, taken all over the Pacific and in stunning quality, a small encapsulation of one man's life in the Navy between the World Wars.

Jon took care digitizing each photo of the nearly-400-photo collection, and finally chose eight of his favorites to print into these gorgeous postcards!

[Image Description: 8 images of black-and-white postcards front and back laid flat on hardwood floor, all labeled "circa 1925". 1: "USS Selfridge, Crew." A sepia-toned photo of 12 white naval men in uniform lounging on the dock in front of their ship. 2: "Carromatas. Manila, Phillipines." Carromatas, or horse-drawn carts, lined up. The photo captures the toss of the horses' manes as they stand at the ready. 3: "Hotel, Kamakura, Japan." A four-story building with a smoking chimney and a small graveyard in front. 4: "Batavia, Java" bamboo rafts float on water laden with a pile of unknown cargo. Javans conduct their business along the banks. 5: "USS Saratoga" an aircraft carrier at sea, wind rippling the water. 6: "USS Blackhawk" in the foreground, people in straw hats talk beside piles of rolled thatched rugs. Sailors in the background load the rugs onto the ship. 7: "Panama Canal" a straight-on photo of the entrance to the Panama Canal. 8: "Sea Planes" Biplanes loop over the water, practicing creating smoke to obscure a battlefield.]

I'm sorry to say we'll have to wait a little longer to get back to our storytimes, friends!
Thank you all for your patience as we process a death in the family. We kindly ask that you refrain from sending condolence messages to the Beautywood Books messenger channel, as that creates more emotional and physical labor for the bereaved. We know we are loved and supported by you all, and can't wait to get back to seeing you all in person again. Jon, Jo, Liv, and all children and partners are healthy and taken care of. Thank you all. ❤️

[Image Description: a graphic of the famously Very Hungry Caterpillar and some fireflies in the same art style. Original black on white text is covered by red text hat says, "storytime postponed. Stay tuned for a new date."]

A weird little milestone that made my heart sing:

These three packages made for a light load to drop off at the post office this afternoon. But this was the first time the daily (yes, daily) shipment was exclusively to customers of the book SHOP rather than our online storefronts on Amazon and eBay. Three packages. But these three packages are to three people whose names I know, with whom I've carried on conversations, whose book picks are absolutely fire. I hope the next twelve months bring more days like today, where even the book shipments represent true moments of connection.

And if your books are in these packages, you should be getting them real soon 😜

[Image Description: a photo of jo, a short, white, brunette, bespectacled, mask-wearing human posing with a smile (you can see it in the eyes) as they hold a stack of medium-sized packages. The stack is as big as their (short) torso. They're wearing a pink t-shirt, striped skirt, and black tights with n**e sandals. Is it tacky? Probably. Do they care? Nope.]

Throwback to when the cutest couple came to the bookshop on a date and just sat next to each other reading for an hour. Who else thinks silently reading next to a partner is just the best thing ever? 🥹
*photo taken and posted with permission, always*

[Image Description: a photo of a couple sitting on the bench in the front corner of the bookshop by the mantle, both looking down at the paperbacks in their respective hands. They're smiling. They're adorable.]