Dragon Bite Books & Crafts

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Dragon Bite Books & Crafts Sourcing & shopping locally further cuts down on those harmful byproducts. Dragon Bite is queer-, disabled-, & woman-owned & operated. What radicalized me?

A hybrid, donations-based secondhand bookshop & creative reuse center in Roanoke, VA making crafting, art, & book collecting more accessible & more eco-conscious so that we can all take better care of our Earth, ourselves, & each other. 🏳️‍🌈📚🎨🧶🧵🪡✏️ Dragon Bite Books & Crafts is a hybrid, donations-based creative reuse center & secondhand bookshop, located in Roanoke, Virginia, that strives to make less expensive, more eco-conscious, secondhand crafting & collecting available to a greater number of people so that we can all collectively take better care of our one Earth & ourselves & each other. Shopping secondhand decreases the number of new products that need to be made & the pollutants & resource depletion associated with those products’ production & shipping. Dragon Bite values what has already been made, seeks to spark inspiration for reuse & repair by showcasing goods made of recycled material, & hopes to keep items in circulation, whether whole or in part, for as long as they are usable, encouraging repurposing & recycling when items can not longer serve their original function. The community has turned out to support this project in ways that I couldn’t have anticipated, by donating items to the shop, including books, yarn, fabric, artificial greenery & flowers, jewelry, beads, jars & vases, paper & paper goods, craft kits both unused & partially completed, thread, office & school supplies, paint, paintbrushes, & more - but also turning up to share their talents & enthusiasm & time — & I will be forever grateful! I strive to match the cautiousness of the most Covid-cautious person in the room, & face masks & hand sanitizer are always available for those who want them. Music heard at the shop will be family-friendly, excluding references to self-harm, including alcohol & cigarette use, harm to others, overt sexual acts, language you wouldn’t want your young child to use, & explicit religious messaging. In June 2025, Dragon Bite became a foster home to a young tabby, Betty Grayble, sponsored, trapped, & neutered by local rescue Barn Cat Buddies. She is available for the right home. In elementary school, we sold t-shirts to benefit the World Wildlife Foundation & collected coins for UNICEF. Meanwhile, at home, closets & cabinets became cluttered with the surplus materials from completed or uncompleted craft & art projects, old plastic & plush toys, & games, some materials passing several decades untouched. When I wanted to try something new, I would buy new materials & almost always would have to purchase more than I needed or would use for the project. Later, as I watched book prices soar, I became aware of how much marketing & money affect which books are available & which books are prominently displayed in shops & which books are recommended by sellers, & I saw favorites of mine become difficult to obtain as their publication dates grew more distant, though their quality had not decreased & their messages were no less relevant. Increasing national pressure on libraries & major retailers to censor their recommendations to fit the standards of a vocal few, increased my desire to open an independent shop to spotlight the voices & stories in danger of disappearing from shelves in places beholden to shareholders or public opinion. I did not realize that I was queer or that my feelings had a name & label until after college, & I have to wonder if I might have been able to orient my life to better pursue my happiness sooner if I had seen more people like me represented in the stories I read & watched. I don’t want younger generations to be without language or example as I was. I seek to keep books by & about historically marginalized communities available to our community, & available inexpensively. The pandemic showed me the need for spaces that could hold to higher standards of community care without shaming — explicitly or implicitly — those who wanted to be more Covid-cautious. As an independent business, I am able to make decisions that help me be one of those spaces.

0.25 washi tape!That's it; that's the post.
10/24/2026

0.25 washi tape!

That's it; that's the post.

10/24/2026

Come see Melanie today at Dragon Bite until 4:30! Check out her creepy spiders & beautiful wire & bead rings & more!

Popping by to say that these are still here on the porch as of 5:19 on Saturday. Would it be helpful for me to leave the...
10/23/2026

Popping by to say that these are still here on the porch as of 5:19 on Saturday. Would it be helpful for me to leave them here through 6:00 tomorrow (Sunday)?

LAST CHANCE! These magazines are really heavy, & I don't want to worry about lifting or carrying this box anymore. Please come take them tomorrow (Saturday) if you're interested! Lots of Healthcare Design and Interiors & Sources, some This Old House, and a scant few Country Living. There are also these binders that I may or may not decide to empty to rehome them as 3 ring binders.

FREE to a new reader or crafter!

They should be out until 6:00 or 6:30 PM.

10/23/2026

Look what I just found! $1 each (ignore the price tags). Astound your friends with your detailed carvings using these cut-out patterns.

I have a few carvers, scoops, & pokers for $0.10 each too.

10/23/2026

Did you miss Melanie of Healing Heart last Saturday? Surprise! You'll have a second chance to meet her this Saturday, tomorrow, between 12:30 - 4:30! Melanie will be selling her wire-wrap treasures, beauty products, & mixed media pieces. And she's just a delightful person, so come way hi.

"Dip the apple in the brew. Let the Sleeping Death seep through. Look, on the skin! The symbol of what lies within. ...I...
10/22/2026

"Dip the apple in the brew. Let the Sleeping Death seep through. Look, on the skin! The symbol of what lies within. ...If she breaks the tender peel to taste the apple in my hand, her breath will silence, her blood congeal."

No potion required for this Halloween trick. Do not bite. Pre-dipped & here at Dragon Bite.

(Disney, 1937)

10/21/2026

Yes, things have sold from this spooktacular table, but for every piece sold, I feel like I have found at least 2 more! Come check out the new additions to get your home & wardrobe ready for Halloween night!

I've been adding less festive autumnal decor & crafts too, for those looking for less frightful displays.

🏳️‍🌈💙
10/21/2026

🏳️‍🌈💙

In 1996, fantasy author Lynn Flewelling gave the genre something it almost never had: a hero who loves men and doesn't die, turn evil or stand in the background.

His name was Seregil, the lead of her Nightrunner series. Flewelling, who turns 68 today, has said she created him partly as an experiment: could a hero like that carry a mainstream fantasy series at all?

It worked. Her publisher had no problem with the q***r content - she called it "a good selling point." A fundamentalist reader wrote begging her to stop "pushing the homosexual agenda." She wrote back, thanked him, and explained why she read the Bible differently.

She said only two readers ever wrote to object to that side of the books - and hundreds wrote to thank her, gay readers for heroes they could identify with, straight readers because her books helped them accept gay family members.

Oops. Before I miss another day, let me get this out there. Check out the tagged hosts' pages for more info on events.As...
10/20/2026

Oops. Before I miss another day, let me get this out there.

Check out the tagged hosts' pages for more info on events.

As always, this is just me rounding up a list of events I have shared in my stories & in the In Community highlight on my Instagram page. Please leave more events or corrections in the comments.

Today:
ASL Class at The Little Bookworm, Blacksburg, 4:00 - 5:00, FREE
Roanoke Plawkers, Bennington Greenway, 5:30, FREE
Creative Community Workshop: What’s the Niche?! @ Canvas & Coffee, 6:00 - 7:00, Ticketed, FREE
Customer Appreciation Night @ Brusters, 6:00 - 9:00
Interest Meeting on Zoom for the League of Women Voters, 7:00, email LWVRoanoke@gmail
Peak Music & Wellness’ Introduction to Guided Imagery & Music on Zoom, 7:00, Ticketed, FREE

Tomorrow:
-Wellness Rodeo + Free Pop-up Clothing Shop for Newborn - 5T @ District 20 Probation & Parole, Bedford, 3:00 - 5:00, FREE
-Roanoke Plawkers, Fork in the Alley, 5:30, FREE
-Yoga @ The Taubman, 5:30, Ticketed, $5+
-Gentle Yoga at Seeking Wellness, 6:00 - 7:00, EVERY WED, Ticketed, $25
-Poems & Coffee Brew Lab @ Canvas & Coffee, 6:00 - 8:00, Ticketed, $20
-Blacksburg Books Book Club, Rebecca by Du Maurier, @ Moon Hollow Brewery, 6:30 - 8:00
-Pottery Class with Motel Studios @ Fork in the Alley, 6:30 - 9:00, FREE, EVERY WED, Limited spaces

Thursday:
Cactus & Candidates, Golden Cactus, 5:00 - 7:00
Paint & Sip @ Crystal Spring Grocery, 5:30, Ticketed, $42+
Hand Knit Pumpkins @ Big Lick Brewing, 6:00 - 8:00, Ticketed, $35+
Maker Meetup & Show & Tell @ MAKE Roanoke, 6:00 - 8:00

Friday:
-Modernism in American Made, 8:00 - 9:00 @ Taubman, FREE
-Compass Trunk or Treat, 4:00 - 6:00, RSVP to Kerri Belcher
-Spell Jars @ Salem Magickal Herbary, 5:30 - 7:00, Ticketed, $25
-Movies in the Market, Hocus Pocus, 6:00, Outdoors, Market Square, Downtown Roanoke, FREE, Costumes encouraged
-Scrappy Kiddos’ Shadow Puppet Workshop @ Scrap Collective, 6:00 - 8:00, Ticketed, Members only tickets left as of 10/19
-Meet Local Author Anita Allen @ Bibliopub, 6:00 - 8:00
-Restorative Yoga: Rest as Resistance @ Sweet Rain Healing, 7:00 - 8:15, Ticketed, FREE
-West Coast Swing, Blacksburg Dance Theater, 7:30 - 9:00, Ticketed, $5-$15

Is your wardrobe autumn-ready? Check out these autumnal earrings by Salem maker Susan. Find these & more at Dragon Bite!...
10/19/2026

Is your wardrobe autumn-ready? Check out these autumnal earrings by Salem maker Susan. Find these & more at Dragon Bite!

Address

5342 Franklin Road SW
Roanoke, VA
24014

Opening Hours

Wednesday 12pm - 6:30pm
Thursday 12pm - 6:30pm
Friday 12pm - 6:30pm
Saturday 12pm - 6:30pm
Sunday 12pm - 6:30pm

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