Once Upon a Time Books (Bentonville)

Honestly, I almost passed this gem up in my haste. I’m thankful to my partner for calling my attention to it. It’s charming, cute, and reasonably priced. I found a regional title that I’d only heard about, written by an Ozarks author I like, and copyrighted in the early 1990s. Fantastic book shops like this are getting fewer and far between, so if you’re in the neighborhood, make sure to stop in!

It's a treat to find a small bookstore tucked into a block in Bentonville's old downtown. Once Upon a Time is a nice respite from the more gimmicky shops you find elsewhere around the courthouse square, an oasis for book lovers to browse or even sit a bit. The collection of books offered for sale is eclectic and depends, I think, on the tastes of the owner. So, while you may not find scads of the latest books on major reading lists, you'll find interesting collections of vintage cookbooks, local cookbooks, Southern cookbooks, and local history books. We especially appreciate the kindness of the bookstore owner yesterday in spending lots of time talking to us, offering a restaurant recommendation, pointing out that the bookmarks she tucked into our purchase have a bar we can scan to go online and find the entire inventory of the bookstore, and if we spot something we like to order it and have it shipped to us. Peace, quiet, brain food, history: what more can you ask for in a shop in a courthouse square in a small Arkansas town? Once Upon a Time offers all of the above.

I could have stayed here all day! So many spectacular books to look at. Lots of rare and collectible ones too. The girl working was so friendly and full of information. Definitely coming back when I don't have someone waiting on me.

A great little bookstore with a lot of rare finds and got Harry Potter books for my wife