Union Ave Books — Local services in Knoxville

My husband, toddler and myself stopped in this afternoon and I can’t say enough wonderful things. The two staff members behind the desk both greeted us and smiled, but didn’t overwhelm as we bagel to browse. It is so nice to be able to enjoy yourself and not feel unwelcome with a rowdy, curious toddler. Their selection is quite impressive for how small the store itself is and I found myself struggling to pick. The children’s section is also quite large and unlike most stores, YA gets their own space, too. The quirky, bookish or other themed merchandise they have throughout was the cherry on top. If you’re browsing for a gift for someone, or even if you just want to peek around for yourself, I truly think this store has something for everyone. The historic building it’s in is beautiful and the overall cozy, welcoming feeling they have is what will definitely keep us coming back. I am normally one to shop at the big chain bookstore in west Knoxville just out of convenience of having my share of wide array of selection, but this store had more than enough to satisfy (and I read quite a bit).To top it off, knowing that you’re shopping small and local makes it even better. Knoxville needs more places like this, and the ones we have need all the support we can give! Thank you, Union...

Have you ever gone in a store and wondered if, by crossing the business's threshold, you somehow stepped into bizarro-world? That's exactly what this store is like.

I am an avid reader and have thousands titles in fiction and non-fiction across just about every genre there is on my home shelves and thought for sure Union would have something that would catch my eye, but nearly every book in this store seems like it was picked by an angry Twitter protestor - I mean, when even your cookbooks have racial topics in the title, maybe it's time to reevaluate your myopic world-view and put out some books that people might actually enjoy reading.

I was hoping it would be a cozy and fun local bookstore, and instead it's a dumping-ground for nonsense and forgettable titles that will end up in landfills or being pulped in a decade after their original owners give them away to KARM and...

My husband and I really love this bookshop, they have so much more than books and it’s all very unique. It’s small but quaint, it’s a fun place to look around in for awhile. The only bad thing is the lack of wheelchair access. I noticed when we brought my sister who’s in a wheelchair 24/7 that she couldn’t even see half of the store because there is a step or two that goes down to the second half of the store so she couldn’t view anything, she had to stay on that main floor which really sucked. We asked if there was a place she could wheel down but they just said nope... Not impressed with that at all. So if you’re in a chair be prepared to only see one part. I felt really bad and embarrassed to have brought her here but I didn’t realize before. Guys please come up with a way to wheel someone down, it prevents people to see the rest...