Across S.D., independent bookstores offer local flavor, community connecting point

By Kate Meadows and Jamie Kientz, for Pigeon605

In July, Barnes & Noble opened a new storefront in Rapid City, occupying 20,000 square feet of books, toys, games, gifts and the signature B&N Cafe.

A month or so earlier, a new locally owned independent bookstore opened on Rapid City’s Main Street. Monarch Books and Boutique is the dream of local counselor Caitlin Nissen, who envisioned a cozy, family-owned space for readers to mingle among thoughtfully stocked shelves of hand-picked books across many genres.

It seemed a risk, opening a small, independent bookstore a month before a corporate giant moved in. But family-owned bookstores seemed to be popping up everywhere.

In September 2024, Henry’s Books opened in Spearfish on the back of an incredible crowdfunding effort.

In April, Carrie Moore transformed Jenny’s Floral of Custer into the new Petals & Pages, bringing books into the long-established flower shop.

“Independent bookstores have grown in South Dakota,” said Amy Thue, who co-owns the bookstore Whimsy on Main with her sister, Sara Snaza, in Milbank.

Statewide, while some new bookstores are opening, other beloved independents are closing.

Rapid City’s Bird Cage Book Store and Mercantile closed in 2024 when owner Lily Mendoza decided she was ready to move on to other things. For 25 years, her store sold a wide selection of books by Native Americans and about Native American culture.

There still are independent retailers selling primarily books statewide though. Here’s a sampling:

Henry’s Books

• Address: 111 E. Hudson St., Spearfish
• Owners: Elizabeth, Dylan and Henry Mattson
• Years owned: 1.5

Launching an independent bookstore with a nonprofit arm began as an idea that Elizabeth Mattson couldn’t ignore.

“I always wanted to do something people-oriented, and nonprofits provide a third space – a place that isn’t home or work,” Mattson said. “Every week, I hear how Spearfish needed this: a classic, traditional bookstore. There was a clear need, so why not fill it?”

The vision began with crowdfunding efforts that involved asking “every single person on the sidewalk” what they were reading, giving away thrifted books and inviting them to the bookstore’s Kickstarter campaign.

“It was engaging community buy-in and interest, and learning what to carry into the store. It also affirmed what we were already expecting,” Mattson said.

Henry’s Books – named after Dylan and Elizabeth’s young son, Henry – opened in June 2024 in one of Spearfish’s historic downtown buildings. A bricked arched doorway and vintage signpost greet customers.

Henry’s Books sees people of all ages and identities. About two-thirds of the store’s customers are women, according to Mattson, adding that inventory is carefully selected to include something for everyone.

The heartbeat of Henry’s Books is building connections and fostering reading, Mattson said. From providing books to kids and classrooms to connecting local authors to editors and publishers, the Mattsons find ways to serve their community and encourage a love for reading among their patrons.

In June, the store launched its nonprofit arm, Henry’s Books Foundation. The foundation makes these connections possible. It also enables the Mattsons to say yes to many things in fulfilling their vision.

People in the book business are recognizing bookstores as “vessels of empathy,” Mattson said, offering welcoming spaces in unique and impactful ways. A quote she carries with her is: “Do for one what you wish you could do for many.”

• Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday and Monday

Whimsy on Main

• Address: 214 S. Main St., Milbank
• Owners: Sara Snaza and Amy Thue
• Years owned: 10

In 2015, Milbank natives Sara Snaza and Amy Thue attended a local event called “Build a Better Block.” Milbank recently had lost its Hallmark store.

“As a community, we were brainstorming things we thought our community needed,” Thue said.

Thue and Snaza, who both deeply missed the Hallmark store, envisioned opening a similar shop with gifts – and books. Both sisters had jobs, but they secured a grant that provided the equivalent of two months’ rent on Main Street.

“We opened very small,” Thue said. “It was basically a cracker box.”

It wasn’t long before Snaza left her job as a high school librarian to work at Whimsy on Main full time. Thue followed suit about a month later, leaving her job with Avera Health.

Thue and Snaza come from library backgrounds — Thue worked as an elementary school librarian before her job at Avera.  As a result, the sisters spend a lot of time carefully curating the books they have in the store.

“People really trust our book knowledge,” Thue said. “That’s something we take a lot of pride in.”

• Hours: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday

Petals & Pages

• Address: 21 N. Fourth St., Custer
• Owner: Carrie Moore
• Years owned: Moore purchased Jenny’s Floral in 2022 and added a bookstore this year. The business became Petals & Pages in April.

Carrie Moore worked at Jenny’s Floral for several years before purchasing the business in 2022. Fast-forward a couple of years and Moore moved the business to a bigger building. With the extra space, Moore, who loves to read, decided to fulfill one of her lifelong dreams: to own a bookstore. What was once exclusively a floral shop branched into a locally owned business that now sells flowers and books. While Petals & Pages sells both new and used books, Moore said she particularly loves to feature books on local and regional topics and by local and regional authors.

“I really felt the community needed something like this bookstore, and I felt it was something the community could support,” she said. “The customers know I like books, and they come in and talk about books with me.”

Adding books to the floral shop has changed the store’s customer footprint, she added. While those buying gifts and flowers predominantly are women, Moore said she is seeing more men venturing into the store now because of the books.

“It really brings in people who might not have come in with it being a flower shop, like campers who come in when it’s raining and buy books,” she said. “The community has been very supportive.”

Petals & Pages also capitalizes on community involvement, hosting book clubs and a quarterly book report, and partnering with local businesses to host its “Reading Rendezvous” events. The gatherings are open-house-style read-in events where people bring a book of their choice and read silently together.

“Statistics show that reading is increasing,” Moore said. “Custer’s public library numbers are up more this year than last year. There are so many things that kids need to be taught in school, so maybe they don’t have a chance to read for fun. Maybe getting kids into reading books for fun can get them back into reading.”

Full Circle Book Co-op

• Address: 123 W. 10th St., Sioux Falls
• Owners: Sion and Jamie Lidster
• Years owned: 7

Before opening Full Circle Book Co-op, Sion Lidster ran a nonprofit dedicated to the spoken word called The Blot Collective. Another nonprofit in town called South Dakota Writes was operated by Jason Kurtz.

“Over the course of a summer, we would routinely collaborate on events,” Lidster said. “We became friends, and eventually Jason pitched me the idea of opening up our own space. The local used bookstore downtown had recently closed, so we decided to open a bookstore, bar and event space.”

The people who come through the doors are “people intrigued by our weird little hole-in-the-wall space,” Lidster said, “but we definitely cater to more of an ‘alternative’ community, for want of a better word.” As a “cultural and creative hub,” Full Circle pays homage to writing, poetry, art, music and community engagement. “This doesn’t lend itself to one particular demographic but a whole range of artists, their advocates and allies, across all genders, ages, races and nationalities.”

Books, art and beer define the space. Lidster thinks of Full Circle as a “conversation bar,” a space made for people to talk to each other. The space hosts five to 10 events on any given week, and events range from writing groups to punk rock shows, from poetry nights to locally made movie screenings.

Full Circle marked its five-year anniversary with a full-color display book, “The First Five Years.” The book includes photographs, stories, customer comments, staff anecdotes and an in-depth look at Full Circle’s origins and vision. The book also contains a chapter — “almost a blueprint,” Lidster said — about how others can start similar co-op spaces. The book is “filled with info on what we have learned, what we’ve done wrong and inspiration for just going out there and trying something out.”

• Hours: 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to midnight Friday, 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday

Mitzi’s Books

• Address:  510 Main St., Rapid City
• Owner: Mimi Hillenbrand, niece of Mitzi Lally
• Years owned: 14

Mitzi Lally knew she wanted to open a local, independent bookstore — not as much because she sought to own one but because she thought the community needed one.

In November 2011, Mitzi’s Books was one of the first shops to take up residence in newly built Main Street Square in downtown Rapid City. About the same time, Borders – Rapid City’s only corporate-owned bookstore — closed. So Lally reached out and ultimately hired three former Borders employees. Two of them are still at the store: manager Mary Ackland and employee Kristy Creager.

“Borders carried the region for reading and for books for a long time,” Creager said. Yet because “Rapid City is a reading community,” she said, “our region never saw the effects of Borders going bankrupt, (even though) it was noticeable in other parts of the country.”

Mitzi’s Books received a warm welcome from the community, and it soon built a loyal customer base.

The store sees people of all ages, including loyal returning customers. The store also sells online. Customers hail from all over, including Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri and Texas.

“Mitzi’s Books has an established customer base,” Ackland said. “Demographics set us apart. Mitzi’s Books is downtown and appeals to those who want to buy from downtown or buy from a local business.”

Longevity and experience help Mitzi’s Books stand out. Ackland and Creager bring a combined 30 years of experience in the book business. Their expertise leaves its mark on the store, with titles expertly curated and displayed and a space that is warm and inviting.

According to both Ackland and Creager, reading has increased across the country in the past couple of years.

“Sometimes, it’s reading that first book, whatever book it is, that hooks the reader,” Ackland said. “It will spur them to read other titles.”

• Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday

The Nook

• Address: 314 Main Ave., Suite 3, Brookings
• Owner: Laci Thompson
• Years owned: Almost 3

According to owner Laci Thompson, The Nook was born out of a deep love for reading, a belief in the power of bookstores to shape communities and a desire to create a warm, holistic downtown experience. The name was inspired by the cozy “book nook” Thompson built for her daughters in their home — a small space filled with imagination, stories and connection.

It became a space where “stories are shared, connections are made and everyone can find a corner.”

During the weekdays, The Nook sees predominantly women, including moms with little ones, retired women and — on occasion — college-aged women between classes. Evenings and weekends see more of a mix of men and women, manager Sarah Dorn said. Romance is the store’s top-selling genre.

“Something we have learned over three years is who we are,” Dorn said. “We are especially focused on community. Community is our purpose.”

The Nook carries books for all ages and all reading levels, journals, stationery and other writing products, as well as art supplies such as sketchbooks and paint.

On Dec. 30, 2024, a building next to The Nook caught fire, causing the bookstore to close for the first half of this year. It reopened in June — with more seating and a subtle invitation for people to “linger more,” Dorn said.

“It’s funny,” she added, “because I have to invite people to do that. I have to tell them, ‘Please, sit down, take your time.’ I’ve always loved the vibe of this space.”

• Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday

Monarch Books and Boutique

• Address: 631 Main St., Rapid City
• Owners: Caitlin and Andy Nissen
• Years owned: Less than 1

For husband-and-wife owners Andy and Caitlin Nissen, owning a bookstore was a pipe dream.

“We’ve always talked about if we owned our own bookstore, what it would look like,” Caitlin Nissen said. She refers to those talks as the “dream conversation,” adding, “I think we’ve just always connected over books.”

But the dream was not unreachable. When a building opened up on Rapid City’s Main Street, the Nissens took a look at it.

More dreaming ensued.

“We asked each other: ‘What could we do with this space? What would a kids section look like?’” Nissen said.

The timing was good. They would need someone to run the bookstore full time. Andy Nissen, who is drawn to stability and consistency, needed a new job.

They agreed to lease the space at the corner of Main and Seventh. The shingle they hung outside was adorned with orange monarch butterflies, and it read “Monarch Books and Boutique.”

Nissen, who also owns a counseling practice called Monarch, said she has always loved butterflies.

“There’s something so therapeutic about the process the butterfly goes through,” she said. Similarly, “there’s something so transformational about a book.”

The store caters to a range of customer interests, she said.

Book inventory aims to capture readers of all levels and all kinds of interests, from traditional book club lovers to Dungeons & Dragons aficionados to those who devour thrillers, mysteries and romance. A large kids section upstairs includes fun toadstool chairs that may be occupied by adults just as much as the kids they’re intended for.

“I think it’s just our personality,” Nissen said. “We’re both pretty fun and sarcastic in nature. A lot of things in there speak to who we are.”

Monarch hosts local and regional authors and invites local book clubs to take advantage of the well-lit space. Book readings for kids happen once a month.

“We love to host events for people who love books like we do,” Nissen said. She invites people to follow Monarch on Facebook, where she and her husband post funny videos as a creative outlet. “We like to think we are hilarious,” she said.

• Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday