Givens Books and Little Dickens: Giving Back For Generations

For almost 50 years, independent family owned and operated bookstore and toy shop Givens Books and Little Dickens has enchanted the Lynchburg community with its vibrant décor and wide range of merchandise.  

As the passion project of two generations of the Givens family, the store has several community initiatives aimed at giving back to the city that has enabled it to thrive.  

At first glance, the blue and orange striped exterior may resemble something out of a picture book, and the large bay windows on either side of the entrance sport colorful arrangements of seasonal décor, books and unique toys. Inside the store is pure childhood fantasy with large Chinese kites and pterodactyls suspended from the ceiling, an Alice in Wonderland inspired nook created by local artist Christopher Otwell and a maze of used books arranged in the back.  

“I loved the décor, … the areas and how they sectioned off their different types of books,” junior Bella Meredith said.  

The business began in 1976 in a renovated gas station under the name Boonshire Books, a nod to its location on Boonsboro Road. The store was the culmination of a dream for George Givens, a teacher and bibliophile with over 10,000 books in his personal library. Originally from upstate New York, the Givens family moved to Arizona and traveled across the country for weeks at a time in the family camper.  

“I didn’t know it at the time, but he was looking for a place in Virginia to open a bookstore,” said Danny Givens, the founder’s son and second-generation owner of Givens Books.  

In 1973, the family moved to Lynchburg and began scouring the area for a location to open a bookstore. What they found was an old house with an abandoned service station on the property. George invested his entire retirement into the store, doing most of the renovation himself with Danny’s help. Danny was 16 at the time. 

While the store started by only selling used books that George sourced from yard sales and bought from people’s private collections, the store later expanded into selling new books within the first few years of operation. In search of more space to expand, the store was moved in 1979 to a new location on Lakeside Drive and was renamed Givens Books. 

However, Givens Books is only half of the equation. Danny founded the educational toy and teacher supply store, Little Dickens, in 1989.  

“My brother was doing graduate work at the time down in Chapel Hill, and I would visit him. Every time … I would visit this really unique little toy store. It was unusual toys, stuff that you didn’t see in mass market places like Walmart,” Danny said. “There was just this little voice in my head saying, … ‘This really looks cool. I think it would be really cool to do something like this.’ But I didn’t know how to do it.”  

After receiving news that his teaching position at Jefferson Forest High School would be reduced to part-time, Danny took a page from his father’s book and threw himself into his own passion project: opening a whimsical toy store.  

In only six months, Danny built the 700-square-foot store himself on the property next to Givens Books. The store was an immediate success in the community, and Danny was able to quadruple its size in 10 years at the original location.  

When George officially retired in 1999, Danny bought Givens Books and merged it with Little Dickens in the newly constructed location that the store occupies today. Danny said that all of this would not be possible without the loyalty and support of the local community. 

“I feel a lot of gratitude to the community for how they’ve helped us all these years,” Danny said.  

The store has several programs aimed at repaying the community that has enabled it to thrive, including a school rebate program that gives back 3% of all sales to schools when faculty, parents and students mention their school as they check out. Danny also serves on the board of the Central Virginia Business Coalition, which is dedicated to supporting local businesses. 

Givens Books and Little Dickens has been sustained by the community for almost 50 years and plans to continue to expand its operations in 2025. Changes include plans to grow their offerings of used books and open a new café called Troublemaker to take the place of the Corduroy Coffee and Kitchen. Troublemaker should open in mid-February and will offer a variety of sandwiches, breakfast items, coffee and other drinks, providing students a comfortable study environment.  

Visit Givens Books and Little Dickens at 2236 Lakeside Drive. 

Perez is a feature reporter for the Liberty Champion.