Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Jan. 14, 2025 – The Verb Bookstore and Café held its Grand Reopening Tuesday morning at its new location at 316 S. Main St. in Downtown Jonesboro.
“We’re excited to be downtown and joining this part of the community. We’re ready to grow into the next stage of what our little business has to offer Jonesboro,” said Verb Bookstore and Café owner Sari Harlow.
Verb is making a few changes to its model, including implementing a new self-serve drink station.
“We now have what we’re calling our BYOB, build your own beverage, section. We’ve got hot chocolate, espresso and K-Cups and we’ll have hot tea selections as well. We’re going to keep growing and expanding that area, but it’s all self-serve,” Harlow said. “You get your mug if you’re having it here or your to-go cup from Shelly [or any employee at the cash register] over there, and then you doctor it up however you want for $4 flat. Whatever you want to get and then you can add as many goodies in there as you want.”
Another change to the café area will be a new K-Cup exchange, which Harlow said will start in the next few weeks. Suggested by a customer, the exchange allows customers to bring in a favorite coffee and exchange it for another for someone else to try.
“We’re just trying to get our focus back on being the best little independent bookstore that we can be,” Harlow said. “We’re all about our mission, which is to read books, share stories and connect communities. We believe love is a verb.”
According to Harlow, after a hardship hit the business in September, she decided something had to change.
“That moment was definitely the catalyst to us understanding that we couldn’t continue on as we were,” she said. “We were at that crisis point of we either need to decide to make some big moves and shake things up and really, really change up how we’re doing business, or it might be time to, as I put in a post, ‘Hang up my book fairy wings’.”
However, Harlow said a lot of opportunities then seemed to line up for them and their new location space became available.
“Some friends that work downtown too, told us about it and it all just kind of lined up and worked out. I know some people have had concerns about us moving downtown because they assumed it cost so much more downtown, but it really isn’t. It’s the same as we were paying previously,” she said.
The store’s hours have changed. It is now closed on Mondays and then open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays through Thursdays, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Harlow said while the partial closure of Main Street due to the condition of Citizens Bank building was a concern, she thought their business could be a boost for downtown.
“It definitely had me concerned as we were making this this move,” she said. “I’ve even talked to some friends that have businesses down here and I was like ‘Am I making the wrong decision? Is this a bad idea?’ But then I was like, ‘Right now, downtown Jonesboro needs this extra little boost of life, and we need community.’ We’ve got so many other small businesses around us, and we’re really thrilled to make this move and see what 2025 brings for us.”
For more information visit the Verb Bookstore website or for more updates and events, visit it on social media, including Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.