novel. — Local services in Memphis

Memphis is so lucky to have this gem of a bookshop in the middle of the city. I so enjoy coming here and perusing the shelves for my next favorite book. The staff is always so very helpful and friendly, and I especially love reading the staff pick notes that are placed around the store. They also host all kinds of fun events for all types of readers, including storytimes for families, author signings, festivals, and more. Besides books, I like buying gifts here too - they have a great selection of kitchen gifts in the back of the store by the cookbooks, other fun novelty gifts like socks and notebooks, and also have the best gift wrapping and greeting cards/stationary selection.

The attached restaurant, Libro, is so delicious and it can be a fun outing to go eat brunch or dinner there and then walk around the store to shop before or after eating.

I want to make a special note of how Novel adapted during the pandemic - during a time of chaos, they adapted and began taking online orders and added local delivery which was a life saver at the time. Their staff was so lovely and friendly (as always). Although I really love shopping in store, I have also enjoyed using their online ordering system when I am in a rush. They are extremely communicative and will get with you via email to let you know when your order is being processed and when you can come by to pick it up - and it's a real human being who emails you, which is so nice! I have even had friends from out of town utilize this ordering system to leave me gifts there before.

I really prefer shopping locally for my books instead of ordering online from Amazon and I will continue to shop here forever! Absolutely one of my favorite storefronts in the city, and they add such a lovely spirit to...

This bookstore used to be Davis kid booksellers which was overall wonderful and and exciting experience to walk into. This is now Novel and not sure if the management has changed, however I came to this bookstore for a specific magazine in which wasn’t stocked yet the other day so I’ll check again later in the week. When I came inside I immediately was taken a back by the major changes they’ve made with the floor layout. The magazine stand used to be near the Cafe area and they had great cozy seating and disappointing enough they now have the magazine section as soon as you walk in the doors. The used to have a full section of international magazines, but they’ve also done away with that selection, but managed to keep People en Español the rest of the foreign language readings are gone! I walked around the bookstore and I have to be honest, didn’t enjoy it as much. It’s kind of boring and dingy, not as colorful as they used to be when it was Booksellers. They reduced the gifts and novelty items along with greeting cards and they no longer have a variety of displays that grab your attention. Maybe they’ll make more improvements later and hope they can go back to how they were before in the meantime, I’ll check out Barnes and noble or Burke’s Bookstore. I was surprised they didn’t carry Trump’s “Art of The Deal” when I pulled up the the lot, I noticed it seemed rather empty on a Monday afternoon around 5pm not sure I’ll be returning anytime soon for it’s not giving me the experience...

My first experience of Novel.

I was super excited that there was a local bookstore. I wanted to check the place out before telling my friends, family, and coworkers about it. I was especially excited about a possible new brunch location.

I arrived around 2PM on a Sunday and was immediately drawn in at the vast selection of books, and gifts available. The place was crowded. As I was browsing I felt a bit uneasy and noticed I was being watched. I didn’t have a hoodie, big purse, or pockets so I second guessed myself.

I wanted to browse more and spend my money (hello BookTok section), but the vibes in this place are off. I had asked one of the employees for help finding an item, then after assisting, heard laughter from the group of employees standing around. Feeling even more uncomfortable, I made my way up front to check out the local Memphis wares, and overheard some pretty mean gossip about the staff (Mark, I don’t think they like you).

The negativity killed my mood for book shopping so I paid for my items and left. I wanted so much to support this local business, however I don’t think...