Alum Opens Children's Bookstore in Fayetteville
A lot of people remember the storybooks that entertained them and fueled their imaginations when they were young.
Few, though, make a full-time career out of their love for tales that engage the hearts and minds of children.
One example of such an exceptional individual is alum Ryan Billingsley, whose new store, Dad Suggests Books, opened in Fayetteville at the beginning of July.
Billingsley graduated in 2009, double majoring in English and German with a concentration in creative writing and translation.
While a student at the university, Billingsley took many opportunities to feed his appetite for literature, translation and adventure, perhaps planting the seeds for his becoming a bookstore owner down the road.
He participated in study-abroad trips to Rome with English professor William Quinn (in partnership with the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design) and to South Africa with English professor Charles Adams (in partnership with the Department of Anthropology).
"It's impossible to quantify what those types of experiences are worth — but I know they mean an awful lot to me," Billingsley said recently.
He also remembered fondly his on-campus experiences, like taking a translation workshop with Dr. John DuVal "where [the students] were all working from different languages." He likewise savored "being completely surrounded by books deep in the basement of Mullins Library."
Undoubtedly, his academic endeavors prepared him well for the vocation of bookselling.
"I've always had a special place in my heart for the vibes of the bookstore in The Neverending Story," Billingsley confessed, "and wanted to be the grumpy old bookseller telling kids that their books are safe."
Yet his education was not the main motivating factor for Billingsley's finally committing himself to bookstore ownership.
It was his becoming a father.
"When I became a father, one of the first things I did was pull out the tubs of my childhood books from my parents' attic. I was extremely excited to see some of them, and those memories meant a lot to me. I suppose I realized that I hoped the same for my kids — that some of these books and stories might become core memories. It did make me reflect quite a bit on the many benefits of reading together. And I think all the time about things like childlike-wonder and imagination — and how we get to be the lucky stewards of this journey and stoke those flames."
But opening his bookstore did not happen overnight; rather, the process involved several stages and took about seven years.
The first stage entailed starting the Dad Suggests Books website "as a way to recommend the books and games that our family loves," Billingsley explained.
By 2022, he had opened a small version of the bookstore "to test the waters" and gauge the level of customer response.
Luckily, the reception was so strong and supportive, Billingsley and his wife, Jessica, had the confidence to open the flagship Dad Suggests Books store last month, located at 2526 E. Mission Blvd., Suite110, in Fayetteville.
![]() The round door through which young readers can enter the Hobbit-themed reading room. |
When asked what the most rewarding part of owning and managing an independent bookstore is, Billingsley responded, "By far, the most rewarding part of the bookstore has been seeing kids genuinely excited about being there. Every once in a while, a kid pauses in awe right before they walk through the small, round, green door into the hobbit-themed reading room. I absolutely love seeing that little moment of magic, and I stop what I'm doing to watch them push the door open and make that trip inside."
Another favorite part of the job, he said, was getting to observe parents or grandparents reading together with their children or grandchildren "in one of the many nooks [of the store] ... mak[ing] those memories together."
While opening any new business is challenging, the hurdles that Billingley described—"figuring out how to get more books out on the floor—brainstorming about new shelving possibilities and things like that to get more middle grade books on display ... working behind the scenes trying to figure out boring things like which books do we always need to have two extra copies of, which books do we need to refill right away and which books can we wait weeks to restock" — reflect the welcome fact that his bookstore is growing, and rapidly.
Of course, the perks of having an independent children's bookstore in town are felt not only by the owners and staff. The local customers are rewarded equally. In Billingsley's opinion, "the curation and the physical space itself" are the key advantages experienced by store patrons.
"You get to take advantage of the expertise of the book-lovers who work there — sometimes even the people who chose all the books that are in the store for a reason. Even if you don't ask for help, the basic fact that the store is curated is a humongous benefit if you know you vibe with the same types of books that they like in that store. In our case, if you grew up loving Lord of the Rings, The Princess Bride, The Neverending Story or Studio Ghibli — among many other wonderful nerdy things — you know that your physical browsing is going to be a lot more fruitful than searching online.
"The other main benefit, of course, is the fact that it is a physical gathering place. In the case of a children's bookstore like ours, I think that is a tremendously different experience for kids than the books coming in the mail. A children's bookstore has the potential to make the simple process of browsing for books a novel, fun and memorable experience — and something that builds that positive relationship with reading."
When asked what age range his store's inventory targets, Billingsley said that they have items for newborns to teens (around 14 years of age), including "a good collection of board books, graphic novels, chapter books and classics." However, the most significant section of the store is dedicated to Billingsley's personal favorite: picture books.
"Often picture books are labeled by publishers as ages 4-8, but I think those age lines are extremely blurry," Billingsley offered. "The picture book is a very underappreciated art form, and there are many these days that adults appreciate just as much as kids — if not more."
When asked how he guides a parent through buying a book for their child, Billinglsey said that he begins by asking (even before asking their age) what the child has read most recently that they enjoyed.
"That lets us know several things, including the reading level and genre of the last book they read for legitimate fun. My main goal is to help find books that cultivate that love for reading, so I don't really worry about what's popular with other people, or what grade they are in, or whether it's a graphic novel or a chapter book."
And if the parent or grandparent does not know what the child likes to read, Billingsley said that he is "also very happy to just start grabbing several books that I love or my kids love."
When asked which author, living or dead, he would wish to have speak at his store, Billingsley responded that his pick would — without question — be Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are, among many other beloved children's books.
"I'm obsessed with his love for art, and his respect for making art for kids. He is well known for speaking out against children's books that are overly didactic, and was passionate about providing real art for kids that was not condescending. It's okay to touch on complex feelings and dark topics, and it's okay to simply entertain — without feeling the need to constantly bonk kids over the head with lessons. His general philosophy very much fits in with our curation at Dad Suggests Books, and I'm extremely curious what he would say about publishing today."
Dad Suggests Books, a new children’s bookstore started by a U of A alum, at 2526 E. Mission Blvd., Suite 110, in Fayetteville.
And what is Billingsley's own favorite children's book? He has two.
In Billingsley's opinion, Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen is the premiere picture book for the way it "displays pure expertise on the part of both the author and the illustrator. It's like a modern-day fairy tale that's perfectly quirky and beautiful and enchanting — and it's simply a masterwork at the craft of the picture book."
Billingsley's second favorite children's book is Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban and illustrated by Garth Williams.
"It meant so much to me, and that's simply what it's all about at the end of the day. It was one of the books I remembered the most when I pulled those tubs of books out of my parents' attic. And I think that's because it scared me a little bit," Billingsley said.
"I probably ordered way more copies [of Bedtime for Frances] for our bookstore than I should have. And it's a true honor to sell that book to other kids and their families. And I hope some of those kids are a little bit scared of the monstrous shape that Frances' pajamas make in the dark corner. And maybe they'll remember it when they grow up too."
Contacts
Leigh Sparks, associate director for the M.A. & Ph.D. Programs
Department of English
479-575-4301, LXP04@uark.edu