Quietly tucked away next to the Howland Public Library is Beacon Reads, a bookstore managed by Friends of the Howland Public Library. For a long time, it has been Beacon's only bookstore (and now has a new neighbor). Beacon Reads is a bookstore that you may have browsed through primarily on the sidewalk, where they put free books out on their rolling cart. But inside are a wealth of books of all kinds, from cookbooks, to finance books, to graphic design books, and many more.

What's more, however, are  the contributions that Beacon Reads bookstore makes to the Howland Public Library, by way of Friends of the Howland Public Library. The bookstore exists to fund the library, and their efforts have yielded new public computers for the library by matching funds from the Gates Foundation. Beacon Reads is also a big supporter of the Beacon Bees in the Battle of the Books event, a regional teen literature competition in which Beacon has been very successful, taking first place in 2015, and third place in 2012! Friends of the Howland Public Library pays for the bus to the main regional event, which has been held all over the Hudson Valley, including in Carmel and Hudson. And that's not all: Friends of the Howland Public Library raises funds for the physical state of the library, too. Their accomplishments include matching construction grant funds to improve the library facade, and ongoing work to complete that project. (One famous friend of the library especially liked the whimsical mural: Tyra Banks gave it  a shout out on Twitter!)

Best yet? Beacon Reads is open 7 days! Except when they aren't, if a personal matter comes up for the volunteer staff. Stop by on dry days, and you can take a goofy picture as a wise old owl!