The story…so far

Ballyhoo Books is an eclectic general-interest independent bookstore that opened the doors to its warm and welcoming storefront in downtown Alma, Michigan on Sat. August 29, 2020.

Our mission is to build and sustain a fiercely independent, creative, and consciously curated bookstore dedicated to the cultivation of community through the provision of safe space for both public dialogue and personal exploration. 

Special features include:

• a generous children’s section with its very own whimsical “cupboard under the stairs” reading nook
• bookish gift items, greeting cards, art prints, puzzles, board games, and RPG peripherals
• "The Brew" coffee shop and event/gathering space (opened 12/26/2022)

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Founder/Proprietor Dawn Daniels is a native Michigander and unrepentant bibliophile who counts among her past (and somewhat ongoing) professional endeavors that of itinerant storyteller/spoken word artist, freelance writer, counselor, and unorthodox Unitarian Universalist minister.

​Beyond books (and extended family & friends), her passions include theatre art, music, and community building. Ballyhoo Books is the realization of a life-long imagining.

Ballyhoo?

What’s a “ballyhoo?” A word of unknown origins – though often attributed to the clamor created by late 19th century carnival barkers – ballyhoo is defined variably as:
    “a noisy shouting or uproar,”
    “to praise extravagantly,” 
    or “to bang a drum about something.”
But we’re laying claim to a phrase found in poet David Whyte’s “The Winter of Listening” as our framing for the word:
    Inside everyone
    is a great shout of joy
    waiting to be born.
We’re here to make a great shout of joy about our love for books and the shared community such joy can summon.