By Ashton York

E-books and Amazon eat up physical book venders across the United States, but some local businesses have found success selling books in Fayetteville. In a world where digital content is quickly outgrowing print media, Dickson Street Bookshop does not seem to have any trouble with physical book sales.

The bookstore feels like a labyrinth, and its halls stretch larger than the building appears from outside. There are shelves lined with thousands of books, with genres ranging from language dictionaries all the way to sci-fi graphic novels. 

Hence the name, the shop is located on Dickson Street, a popular entertainment area in Fayetteville. It opened in 1978, and contains over 100,000 gently used and out of print books on various subjects, according to the official website. Hundreds of new books are shelved weekly.

Upon entering the store, guests are quick to notice the remarkable atmosphere of the local bookshop. Suedee Hall Elkins, a prominent manager of the bookshop since 2010 and current owner, said everybody working at the store has a passion for literature that contributes to the store’s character.

“I’ve been here so long that it’s easy to forget about how magical it is,” Hall Elkins said. “But the greatest thing is that people walk in every day who have never been in the store before, and you can see the awe on their faces. I can feel that excitement I had as a little girl all over again.”

Hall Elkins first visited the bookshop when she was around four years old. As an 8-year-old, she told her mom she wanted to work at the store.

Several years later and after going to college, Hall Elkins’ friend who worked at the bookstore was planning to move away and set her up to talk to the owners. 

“She had my dream job,” Hall Elkins said. 

The bookshop’s main focus is community and creating a good experience for all who enter. The founders and owners, Donald Choffel and Charles O’Donnell, were “beloved fixtures of the community,” as the store website says.

O’Donnell passed away in 2019, and Choffel recently departed at the age of 90 on April 10. Dickson Street Bookshop social media made an announcement of his passing and said that “his effect on Northwest Arkansas and around the world is simply awe-inspiring.”

“He planned well for this day because he wanted the Bookshop to always be here, serving the local community, and that is exactly what we will do,” the bookshop announcement said. “We aren’t going anywhere, and we will continue to uphold and honor his work, values, wishes and the lifeblood he selflessly poured into the Bookshop.”

According to the store’s social media, Choffel wanted a small, private memorial service and for any donations to be made to literary programs.

After Choffel’s passing, Hall Elkins became the the new owner of the Dickson Street Bookshop, according to The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The legacy of community and printed literary work will continue at Dickson Street Bookshop in Choffel’s wake for years to come.

Many books that the Dickson Street Bookshop has in stock are from people in the local community. The shop has a genre for everyone, and this helps to bridge the generational gap and foster a sense of belonging and shared experience with people of all ages. 

Evan Wordlaw, a University of Arkansas professor and former Dickson Street Bookshop employee, said he believes the importance of local bookstores and physical publications can never be overstated. 

“You can find books that you might not find elsewhere,” he said. “I think there’s an element of discovery that is being lost to market forces and unfortunate incentives.”

Commercial stores such as Barnes & Noble do not possess the diverse and niche selection that local bookstores offer customers. The content in chain stores are from a wider geographical range and are usually more well-known titles. 

Conversely, local bookstores often receive their books from the nearby community, allowing for insight into the history and interests of people in the area. Dickson Street Bookshop will buy any gently used publications and accepts donations, which allows the books to retain character from their past. 

“I think the great thing about a used bookstore is that every book in here has a history before it came to us,” Hall Elkins said. “There’s traces, you know, bookmarks left and notes written inside and inscriptions to friends and family. All of that just kind of adds meaning to it for me.”

Unlike most current-day businesses, the store continues to use pencil, paper and calculators for purchases instead of a cash register. The old-fashioned operations of the bookstore add to the charm of the shop. 

Hall Elkins said she hopes the store eventually has enough money to build a second floor, but no other changes are scheduled for the local business. 

“I think the cool thing about it is you walk in and you feel like you’re walking back in time, in a way,” Hall Elkins said. “Bookstores like this are a dying breed and I want to maintain what we have as much as possible.”