To put it simply, Bean's Books is a dream come true.

 

I grew to adore books at a young age, be it from my dad reading me Goodnight Moon before putting me to bed, my elementary school librarian reading us a chapter from the first Magic Tree House every week, my insatiable thirst for the latest fantasy adventure from Geronimo Stilton, the list goes on. Stories just felt natural. A part of life. Of course I could journey into the frigid land of Narnia on an average Tuesday - what would life be like without that? 

It's thus no surprise that I'd gravitate towards the bookstore. Libraries too, that's a given, but there's always been something different about a good ol' bookshop. You're there to do more than pick out stories like flowers from a field - you're building a collection, your collection, the one that represents you, the characters you love, and the worlds to which you travel. Bookstores quite literally forged my identity. It's why, growing up, I never wanted to have a birthday party - I wanted to go to the bookstore, as many as we could fit into a day. It made shopping for me quite easy since all my parents had to do was pay for what I picked out. 

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You can probably see why Bean's Books was more an evitability than anything. I always had that itch of owning my own shop burning away in the back of my mind. And in the middle of my college career, it became time I scratched it. It was either that or go into teaching. The options are slim for us English/Creative Writing majors.

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The original goal for the store was to have it be a bookstore/coffee shop combination. Me and my brother, Bo, shopped around a few locations and already established stores to see if we could strike a deal. Sadly, those fell through, and each time they did, the dream of owning my own shop fell with them. 

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I won't lie, things looked bleak. It was December 2023, and I was about to enter my final semester of college. I spent most of that season hanging out at Doc's Coffee in the newly renovated Pickles Gap Village (which I used to live fairly close to). Bo's girlfriend, Ally, worked as a barista there, so it was only natural that we frequented the coffee shop and used it as a place to grind out some schoolwork. The longer I spent there, however, the more I picked up on the details of the Village, with one specifically catching my eye every time: the lone, small, pizza-shaped building with shuddered windows and excess furniture stuffed within. It appeared to be the only store that didn't house a business. I kept expecting a new one to pop up, but it never did. 

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It popped up inside my head instead. 

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If I wanted a bookstore, this would be my chance - my only chance, really. The timeline of wanting to open soon after my May graduation was growing tighter by the day. Ally told me about Mrs. Kathy Brown, the new owner of the Village, and pointed her out to me on several occasions. She was my ticket. The thing about us readers, though, is we aren't the talkative type. Me especially. I practically begged Ally to initiate the conversation for me, using her as a middleman to achieve my dream. She said no. And, a year later, I couldn't be more thankful for her choice. 

I still remember that day. The rain pittering and pattering outside Doc's windows. My leg thumping and stumping in anticipation. The winter chill gliding on the wind. Biting at my soul. I was there to finish up one of my essays for finals when, after placing my order, I saw Mrs. Kathy seated at a table near the front. Alone. I knew by my sudden jump in heartrate that this was my chance, and oh how I didn't want to take it. The fear of rejection just about chained me to my seat. No joke, I took a few laps around Doc's to hype myself up. At around number five or six, instead of wrapping back around and heading for my table, I kept on straight. Right to Mrs. Kathy. 

I introduced myself. 
She told me to take a seat. 
I told her my plan. 

She listened. 

I nearly passed out. 

She...loved it. 

And I nearly passed out again. 

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It turns out she'd been praying not only for someone to fill that store (which was hotly contested), but for the right person to be there, the one who had the care, the drive, the willingness to partner with her and bring exactly what Pickles Gap Village needed. And I guess that was me. She wanted to make sure, though. Afterall, I was still just a random 22 year old. She tasked me with creating a business plan alongside finding hard data to prove that a bookstore was still a viable business in 2024. The last thing she needed was to clean out that shop only to fill it back up again after a few months. 

I didn't waste a second. It still surprises me that I even turned in my finals, let alone finish them. My entire Christmas break was spent digging into numbers, creating graphs, citing sources, developing color schemes, and pulling together a master document with every last iota of information I could find to prove my dream was worth it. I sent it over a few weeks later, and after a few months, Mrs. Kathy got back with me (testing me, in a way, to make sure I'd stay after this instead of flaking). 

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The store was mine. 

And thus began the real, physical creation of Bean's Books. I've thousands of details I can share about the process, and maybe one day I will in a blog post on here, but for now, here are the highlights: 

  - Announced the store March 27th

  - Began gathering books

  - Graduated from UCA on May 4th 

  - Mrs. Kathy, Mr. Bill Brown, and Mr. Paul DeMent cleaned out, repaired, painted, and redid the flooring of the store.

  - Ally's grandparents, Mr. Buddy and Mrs. Brenda Loveland, crafted the shelves

  - My parents, Mr. Scott and Mrs. Sherry Cunningham, helped decorate by building the Children's Tree with limbs           from their home in Pea Ridge

​  - Spent many nights for weeks scanning in books, often staying until 1 AM

  - Opened on July 1st, 2024

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And since then, it's been a journey, one I'd never find in my books and stories. There are, however, two special points I want to touch on about this process, ones I feel stand out as cornerstones upon which this entire business sits. 

The first is Bean. Our namesake. Bean (real name Beignet, called such because her feet and nose were white as a puppy, looking like she'd gotten into powder sugar) is my miniature schnauzer. But more honestly, she's my best friend. I got her way back in 2012 when I myself was no more than a pup, aged only 11. Up until then I'd never had a dog of my own. Bean changed that. She changed everything, really. 

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From that November day onward, I had a true companion. A constant presence by my side. Every time I come home she greets me with bleating fanfare of yips and howls, spinning and spinning and spinning and spinning in circles of genuine love, of excitement that the person she cares for the most is back! After greeting me, we'll head to the bed, play around with her chew toys (Mr. Bill being her favorite, paws down), and then snuggle up. There's nothing she loves more​. We'll sit in perfect serenity for hours, just reading or writing, taking in the comfort and warmth of the end of a day. She's always had that knack. It's why early on in our friendship I christened her my "Reading and Writing Buddy." Books didn't feel right with out her. When I took those journeys, she came along. The Toto to my Dorothy. Snoopy to my Charlie Brown.

Naming the store "Bean's Books" honors that little puppy dog and everything she's done for me, even if she doesn't realize it. My goal has always been to emulate her companionship for our customers. We want to be that warm presence. That friend that aids you on your journey. Be it through the books we carry, the help we offer, or simply just the atmosphere we create, Bean's Books reflects what Bean's been to me over her 12 years of life - a little sliver of goodness where you always feel at home.

But that doesn't just come from Bean. She's just the vessel, the window for the true light to shine through. It comes from the second, and most important, of our cornerstones.

God. 

We're a Christ-centered organization. Have been from the start, and will be until the day we close our doors. God is the key to EVERYTHING ​we do. The guide, the hope, the love, the joy, every possible goodness we could ever need or hope to achieve. He'd behind our selection. He's behind our values. He's behind our business plan. He's behind our goals. He's behind the counter every time you walk in. We're founded on the solid rock of the Lord. 

I believe with all my heart he planted in me the desire to open this store and has paved the way for its creation ever since. All along God led me, through my father, my librarian, the books sitting on the bookstore shelves on my birthday, to have that want. And it was never for my glory, oh no. It's for His. Looking back, I'm able to see with the clearest of vision His hand moving alongside me, closing the doors I prayed would open while unlocking those I was too terrified to enter. Through that, I'm living proof of what He can do when you're willing. He took a book-loving boy and his dog and created something good out of it. A good which points others back to HIM, the greatest good of all! 

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That's why I'm here. Why we exist. Bean's Books is about using the power of stories to show people the greatest story of all. God's evident in the care taken to make the store a one-of-a-kind experience. You see Him in the journey we've taken to open this place. He's right there, waiting for you. And don't think we believe we're on some holy, sacred mission because we sell books and focus on God. We know what we do is small in the grand scheme of this world. But it's fulfilling a calling. Sharing the same hope we have in our hearts. We're merely helping you step up until you can leap into His arms yourself. 

I hope this has given you a better insight into our store. I know it's long, especially as someone so averse to talking as myself, but when you have something on your heart to share, the Lord makes sure it gets out there. My thanks goes out to each and every one of you who've supported Bean's Books. I'm blessed beyond belief. I thank God for this opportunity every day. It's hard sometimes, I won't even being to lie. I still feel like a kid keeping up in an adult world. But I know that I have this incredible community that grows stronger every day; I have the support of those who helped build this store from the ground up; I have the spunkiest lil' pup sitting by my side; and, above all, I have a Lord who loved me enough to give His very life for mine. What else could I ever ask for? 

I have the greatest job in the world. Thank you for giving me the chance to live my dream. 

I love you all. God Bless. 

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- Marshall Cunningham, Owner of Bean's Books