Jenni poses next a painting with a quote from one of her favorite authors. Jenni Heslop, owner of the Tiny Bookshop in downtown Marysville, stands beneath a Sylvia Plath quote displayed inside her “Letters not Likes” creative writing space on Jan. 25.

 

MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - “To think that a thought six months ago would become my whole world,” Jenni Heslop wrote on a Post-it note during a free creative writing session Jan. 25 at her Tiny Bookshop in downtown Marysville. Nearly every weekend, Heslop hosts small creative writing workshops called “Letters Not Likes,” offering prompts and materials in a relaxed, community setting.

“Rather than like posts on Facebook, I encourage people to write a letter to someone. That is pretty much how I got the name,” Heslop said. “When people talk about letters they have received from family members or friends, they talk about the memories attached to them. They still have those letters 20 years later. I do not think the same can be said for likes on Facebook.”

A young visitor browses shelves inside Marysville’s new Tiny Bookshop on Jan. 25.

The cozy space began last summer as a temporary three month pop up during a slow period at work. It has since grown into a mixed retail and creative community space. By November 2025, the Tiny Bookshop was added, featuring books across a range of genres and topics.

“It has been overwhelmingly positive, the response I am getting,” Heslop said. “My intention was not to make a lot of money. It was to provide something for the community, a space I would want to spend time in myself.”

Heslop drew inspiration from Portland, Oregon, where she lived for 20 years, before returning to the Yuba Sutter area. She works weekdays at Beale Air Force Base, which limits shop hours primarily to weekends. Beginning in May, hours will expand to include Fridays through August.

Jenni Heslop works alongside a guest during a “Letters not Likes” writing session at the Tiny wookshop in Marysville on Jan. 25.

On average, 10 to 15 people attend the workshops each weekend, held from noon to 2 p.m. Heslop has intentionally kept the groups small. Popular features include a “blind date with a book” display, a free poem jar and an outdoor community journal for passersby.

“I always love running out to see what people have written,” Heslop said.

The Tiny Bookshop is located at 325 D St. in Marysville. Hours are generally 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and most Sundays. More information is available by searching “Letters Not Likes” on Instagram.

A reading nook and writing-inspired décor fill the Tiny Bookshop, a downtown Marysville pop-up space that blends retail with creative workshops.