Brystone's Closed

Brystone Children’s Books Closed in Fort Worth

Brystone Books’s closed last summer (2007). This landmark, family owned/operated store did not own their property and when the lease came up, the family chose that time to bring a tradition to its convenient last page.

“Those Harper Women,” as some called them, were Mother Marianne and Daughters Dana and Adrienne, are still folks of note in Fort Worth, but now as “remember wheners.” The store lasted sixteen years, since 1991. Marianne was doing okay, but just wanted to retire despite fond memories, and the daughters knew the business and it would have floated, but without Marianne there on a daily basis, the heartbeat would have been different.

Brystone Books joins a rare collection of other children’s stores now superannuated – Toad Hall in Austin, Jeremy’s in Houston, and Tree House Readers in Kingswood.

For your kids books, besides Borders and Barnes & Nobles, some independent stores still linger – San Antonio’s Red Balloon and Weslaco’s Storybook Garden and some adult bookstore have thoughtfully enlarged the youngsters’ section – Book People, Blue Willow, and Brazos Bookstore.