Verb Bookstore

Sari and Arthur Harlow knew they had to seize on a unique opportunity to grow their independent bookstore, Verb Bookstore. A building in downtown Jonesboro became available and they decided to locate their store in the area and it reopened in January.

The road leading the Harlows to their downtown location was five years in the making.

A tornado destroyed the Mall at Turtle Creek in March 2020, and the only bookstore in the city at that time, Barnes & Noble, was located there, and the couple thought then about opening a bookstore.

The only independent bookstore in the region, Spider’s Webb in Walnut Ridge, went out of business later that year. The Harlows bought the store’s remaining book inventory along with a few fixtures and sidelines, and Verb Bookstore began selling via social media in November.

“The vision for Verb in the beginning was to be a mobile bookstore to serve the greater Northeast Arkansas region. In February of 2021, we purchased a 1971 Airstream Overlander we affectionately named Vera. Throughout 2021 we popped up at events and businesses all across Northeast Arkansas and began building an amazing community of supporters,” Sari Harlow said.

Sari said she did a lot of home mailbox deliveries for customers and nicknamed herself the “Book Fairy.” The couple remodeled Vera, but they had full-time jobs and it was a challenge to grow the business.

“The one thing we heard over and over again at all of our pop-ups and events was ‘When are you going to open a real bookstore?’ By the fall of 2022, we were at a crossroads. We could pour our effort and money into remodeling the Airstream and following Sari’s original vision, or we could listen to our customers’ repeated requests,” Sari said.

Eventually, the couple opened a 500-square-foot building on Gee Street. Shelly Gage, a former school librarian, was their first hired employee. Within a few months they were able to expand into the adjoining section of the building and it nearly doubled their space. By 2023 they had acquired Story, a coffee business.

Knowing yourself is one the keys to connecting with your customers, Sari said.

“My goal with Verb has always been as it was in my earliest days as the Book Fairy, to get the books people want into their hands. We’re entirely judgment free and open to all readers and preferences. Likewise, we know our customers inside and out because we’re giving them the bookstore we would want. We are our target demographic. We get excited about new books and cool bookmarks and great coffee. It’s easy to serve your audience and anticipate their needs when you connect with them yourself,” she said.

Editor’s note: This company is a finalist for the Northeast Arkansas Outstanding Business Awards — Startup Business category. Winners will be announced at a luncheon on April 15. Contact Rob Gutterridge at rgutterridge@nwabj.com for tickets.