A new community-centric retail concept focused on bringing connection + conversation is coming to Downtown Rogers. The Parlour Room, located at 103 W Walnut Street, is the brainchild of the founders of two locally owned businesses that have roots in Downtown Rogers. Courtney Ulrich Smith, co-owner of Underbrush Books, and Jesse Weegins, founder and owner of American Estates, have partnered to bring The Parlour Room, a community-centric retail experience, to Downtown Rogers.

True to its namesake, The Parlour Room has been purposefully designed to inspire conversation between friends, strangers, and anyone else who might stop by. “I believe that there is nothing more valuable to a downtown than a sense of community and a feeling of belonging," shared Weegens. "We want people to engage with Downtown Rogers in a new way and believe that The Parlour Room can be a part of creating that culture.” The space will function as an independent bookstore, operated by Underbrush Books, and a gallery space for Weegens’ art, but the team hopes that visitors will find more than commercial appeal within its walls.

“We’ve built our entire company on the idea that books build community through conversation and shared experience, and The Parlour Room is the physical manifestation of that," explained Ulrich Smith. "It’s a space where we hope to pay tribute to the history of storytelling as a way to empathize and connect with each other," she continued. 

In addition to selling books and art, the space will also be available as a place to host other community events, such as book clubs, speakers, game nights, and live performances.

“As a Rogers native, I’m so excited for this new way to engage with our downtown," shared Dominic Smith. "We want this to be more than a retail and event space, we want people to feel welcome to come by and say hello, stop in and hang out, to use the space to gather together.”

The Parlour Room's  grand opening takes place 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Friday, October 20 at 103 W Walnut St in Downtown Rogers, AR.