When Rolling Rabbit Books opened on 84th Street SW near Byron Center Avenue in 2023, owner Gina Rabitoy was paying for 2,200 square feet but could only afford to finish 900 of them. Her dad came up with the fix: temporary panels that worked as a wall, so customers saw a finished shop in front and never saw the rough space behind it.
That wall is gone now. WOOD TV reported on September 25 that the children's and teen bookstore has more than doubled in size. The renovation took about four and a half months of work, much of it on weekends, and included new flooring, lighting, ceiling work and "a lot of paint." The reopening party fell on a Saturday in late September, and Rabitoy told the station it was the best sales day the store has ever had.
The timing works well for Byron Center. From mid-October through December, the town's calendar settles on a short list of addresses, and most of them sit on or near 84th Street. The bookstore's added room arrives just as that season starts.
What the back half of the store holds now
With the extra 1,300 square feet, the store went from a bookshop to something closer to a place to spend an afternoon. Rabitoy told WOOD the new space carries toys for the first time, including musical instruments and wooden toys, along with seating, more room for events such as holiday parties, and a "quiet closet" she calls "a cute little cozy nook" where parents or kids can take a break.
At the back is a new mural by local artist Rhiannan Sibbald called "Books Build Community." According to Rabitoy, Sibbald worked in small details from around Byron Center that locals should recognize. Picking those details out is a reason to stop in on its own.
The expansion was a long time coming. Rabitoy spent about two and a half years planning before the store opened, then about two and a half more years building the business in its front 900 square feet before it outgrew them. "I didn't want to make that jump before I really felt like the business was ready," she told WOOD.
The store's events page is already promoting a 2026 "Spooky Booky" event, but the date and time weren't readable from the page when this was written. Check there or call the shop before you plan around it.
The other indoor stop on Byron Center Avenue
The Kent District Library's Byron Township Branch at 8191 Byron Center Ave. SW pairs well with the bookstore. The branch is open Monday through Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday from noon to 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's closed Sundays.
Its October calendar has plenty for young kids and a few things for adults:
- Storytime: October 9 and 16, 10 to 11 a.m., plus two sessions on October 21 at 10 and 11 a.m.
- Babytime: October 12 and 19, 10 to 11 a.m.
- Yoga Storytime: October 13, 20 and 27, 6:30 to 7 p.m.
- STEAM and Stems: October 12, 3:30 to 5 p.m., and Stone Bead Bracelets the same evening, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
- Open Craft Lab: October 19, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
- Things That Go: October 20, 10 to 11 a.m., and a book discussion October 26, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Two November dates matter if you're planning ahead. The branch is closed Wednesday, November 11, for a staff training day and Thursday, November 26, for Thanksgiving.
October 24 has two events back to back
Of all the dates this fall, Saturday, October 24, is the easiest to plan around because two separate organizers scheduled their events one after the other.
| Time | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noon to 2 p.m. | Byron Township Recreation Trunk or Treat | Whistlestop Park, 2120 76th St. | Not listed on the flyer |
| 2 to 5 p.m. | Halloween Candy Walk | Everett's Gardens, 240 84th St. SE | $5 per vehicle |
Byron Township Recreation's Trunk or Treat flyer lists the noon-to-2 time at Whistlestop Park. At 2 p.m., the Everett's Gardens Halloween Candy Walk starts on the east side of 84th Street, with candy stops along the garden walk. Admission is $5 per vehicle, and a coffee truck is on site. Between the two, you have the whole afternoon covered from noon to 5.
One week earlier, Byron Township Recreation's second annual Chili Cook-off is set for Friday, October 16, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Byron Center Rec. The flyer lists a $20 entry fee. It doesn't print a year, but it's on the department's current event listings and October 16 falls on a Friday this year.
November moves from the yard to the holidays
The first half of November is mostly about fall chores. Byron Township's fall leaf and yard waste drop-off at 1035 92nd St. SW opens November 2 and runs through Saturday, November 28. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, and it's closed Thanksgiving Day.
Byron Township Recreation's Crushed Glass Art class is Saturday, November 14, from 3 to 5 p.m. at 2120 76th St. SW. The flyer lists $70 per person, with registration by phone. Like the chili flyer, it leaves off the year, but the date matches a Saturday on the current listing.
On November 20, the calendar shifts to the holidays, and it shifts at Everett's Gardens. Christmas at Everett's Gardens runs November 20 through December 23 with trees, greenery and lights. Hours are Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Its drive-through Christmas light display opens November 20 and 21, returns November 27 and 28, then continues on select December nights through December 23, from 6 to 8 p.m., at $10 per vehicle. The wreath-making workshops are Friday, November 27, from 2 to 3 p.m. and Saturday, November 28, from 11 a.m. to noon, at $40 per wreath.
That puts Thanksgiving weekend at the busiest spot on the late-fall calendar. On Friday the 27th and Saturday the 28th, Everett's has a wreath workshop during the day and drive-through lights in the evening. The township drop-off on 92nd Street is open both days, and the library reopens Friday after its Thanksgiving closure. Rolling Rabbit's larger room, with more space for holiday parties, sits on the same stretch of 84th Street as Everett's.
The season started at Everett's, too
Everett's Gardens opened the season with its Fall Market on October 2 and 3, a free event with more than 30 local vendors and food trucks at the same 84th Street address. Between that market and the holiday light nights that start November 20, the busiest weekends of Byron Center's fall all happen at addresses on 84th Street, from Everett's on the southeast side to Rolling Rabbit near Byron Center Avenue.
What changed this year is the room at Rolling Rabbit. "We really wanted to be able to offer more variety and just be a place where people can gather," Rabitoy told WOOD, and the space behind the old panels now has seating, toys, the quiet closet and a mural full of Byron Center details.
Small business stories like Rolling Rabbit's are part of what goes into a home's value along 84th Street, along with the comparable sales. If you're curious where your Byron Center home stands this fall, Ann Huizen can walk you through it, with local context. Get your instant home valuation and start there.
