Dickson Street Bookshop

It’s a little hard to believe that Jen and I have lived in northwest Arkansas for just under a year. It has been quite a year indeed for us, but more about that in another post. For now, let me share with you one of the places in Fayetteville that we loved, and still love going to: the Dickson Street Bookshop.



Jen and I come from a place where there were Half Price Books shops everywhere - and their main location was about half an hour away. If you are talking about just numbers of items in the store, Half Price dominates just about every other store out there. Jen and I consistently had two problems with Half Price - their organization was frustrating, and the quality of titles they had in their store was very inconsistent. Most stores had very little that was really good on the shelves. So, it was with a weary eye that we walked into “Dickson” as we call it when I interviewed for my present job in November of 2010.

This is close to what one sees when you walk in the door:



It is clear that the staff and proprietors are serious about books. No coffee shop, no magazines, just books. The store is like a labyrinth of floor to ceiling books. The difference here is that all of the books are in great shape, and are carefully curated. They simply do not buy books that to not meet their high standards for condition and content. This has really paid off - all of our visitors that we take there fall in love with it, and invariably walk out with an armful of books. Honestly, it’s hard not to walk out of there and not buy one book.

Beyond the selection (and the very helpful staff) much of the charm comes in the layout of the store. I would like to think that the “Books on Books” and “Cats” sections are the first one passes for a reason - that they share some of the same interests that I do. However, the rooms are formerly separate buildings joined together by doors cut into the walls. This results in one feeling as though the shelves are infinite - and they certainly seem so the first few times one comes into the store. That said, it is easily oriented to, and the staff are more than happy to point you in the right direction for a specific title or section. It serves both the browser and the person seeking a specific title quite well.

The charm does not end in the shelves of books, though. After one has found all of the titles that you want to take home, you return to the front, and they tally the total with a pencil and a piece of paper. No fancy cash register. However, if you are fortunate enough to have a running credit with them through selling books back, they take your name out of an old card catalog (!!) and write down how much of your credit is used to purchase your selections. They always give one of their peerless bookmarks with a purchase.

Really, it’s a wonderful place, and we would love to share it with you if you are ever in the area!