Skylark Bookshop

Skylark Bookshop filled a void in Columbia, Missouri's cultural life when it opened in 2018, giving this university town the kind of carefully curated independent bookstore it had long deserved. Located in the walkable downtown district near the University of Missouri campus, the store serves a literate community that includes students, professors, journalists from the renowned Missouri School of Journalism, and families from across mid-Missouri. The journalism and media section reflects Columbia's unique identity as a center of press training, while the literary fiction and Missouri authors sections speak to the broader literary culture of the heartland. The children's section has become a weekend destination for young families, and the store's events program draws authors who appreciate the engaged, thoughtful audiences that Columbia provides. Skylark has proven that a well-run independent bookstore can thrive even in a market long dominated by the university bookstore.