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The Bear & Bee is a used and new bookstore in North Adams, Massachusetts. We opened in June of 2021. We carry used and new books of all kinds, with particular emphasis on art; health; environment and nature; social justice; feminism; queer issues; science fiction and general fiction; local history and guides; great books for kids and young adults; as well as cards, gifts, puzzles, and more.
North Adams is Massachusetts’ smallest city, nestled in the valley of the Hoosic River, at the northern edge of the Berkshire Hills and overshadowed by Mount Greylock, on the unceded land of the Muh·he·con·ne·ok people who are known today as the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans.
The bookshop
was started by
Book the date: The Bear and Bee opening in North Adams.
Berkshire Eagle, June 19, 2021.Jen Stevens and Rye Howard,
and is now run by Rye Howard and Eric Parrish. Rye is an
environmental
health scientist,Meet the global health scientists, activists and The Bear & Bee Bookshop owners who are expanding Pride programming in North Adams.
Berkshire Eagle, Jan 12, 2023.
astronomer, biker, tinkerer, and book obsessive.
Eric is a hiker, woodworker, and longtime bookmonger who is
fascinated by the material history of obscure books and ephemera.
Jen is a certified nurse midwife of many years experience,
as well as an avid gardener and herbalist.
We're located at 28 Holden Street, North Adams, Mass — just a couple blocks from Mass MoCA, and right next door to Public Eat+Drink. There's free parking in back, and the entrance from the parking lot is accessible. Here's a google map.
Spring/Summer/Fall 2024 hours:
We have two regular monthly events:
We're happy to take orders for new books for you to pick up at your leisure. (Sorry, we do not ship books.) We can usually get nearly anything in print within a week. (Orders of used books are trickier, but ask us — we love a challenge!) Please email us at bear.bee.books@gmail.com, or drop us a note on instagram.
We want to know what you want to read, who your favorite authors are, what we're missing but should be carrying, and what you’d like to see in a local independent bookstore! Send your suggestions, ideas, reading lists, hopes, and dreams to bear.bee.books@gmail.com.
We are always happy to take your donations of books in good, clean condition. Please do not bring us torn, dusty, or moldy books. :-(
We're a small shop, so we tend to buy books pretty selectively. This means there are a lot of books we do not buy. For example, we do not buy textbooks, romance novels, magazines, or encyclopedia sets.
We pay for books in store credit (not cash), which takes the form of a gift card. That gift card is yours to take with you and never expires.
If you would like to sell your books to us, weekdays are the best time. Please avoid bringing them in on weekends when the shop tends to be busy.