Home » Independent Bookstores

  • Search Bookstores

  • or Filter by City

  • Reset

Independent Bookstores in Tennessee

NewPages.com guide to the best Tennessee indie bookstores

Independent bookstores in Tennessee are sorted by City as you scroll through. If your favorite indie bookstore is missing, please contact us.

If you are the owner of an indie bookstore, you can submit a free enhanced listing for your bookstore in our Guide here.

  • Books-n-things
  • 1714 Blountville Blvd.
  • City: Blountville
  • Phone: (423) 416-8129
  • Type: Primarily used with some new books
  • Sidelines: Gifts, Greeting Cards/Postcards, Magazines
  • Facebook
  • Website

We are a bookstore carrying mostly used titles, collector’s editions, autographed editions, and titles from local authors. We also provide lots of beautiful gifts, greeting cards, vinyl records, and educational kits that are great for weekend projects, summer activities, or homeschool learning.

Big Elephant Books a “double” bookstore with both brick and mortar store and website. Finding the right book is an adventure!

We’ve been buying, selling, and trading in Chattanooga since 1990. Come browse our extensive selection of movies, books, videogames, music, and more!

Winder Binder Bookstore

A folk art, new and used bookstore, and vinyl shop on the NorthShore.

HUDUBAM Booktraders is an independent bookstore created by writers for writers and lovers of stories selling used and new books.

A uniquely charming secondhand bookstore located on the square in beautiful, historic Downtown Columbia Tennessee. With thousands of titles in our inventory, we have carefully selected only the best books in a wide range of categories.

Plenty
  • Plenty
  • 48 West Broad Street
  • City: Cookeville
  • Phone: (931) 349-2119
  • Type: New books
  • Specialty: General Interest, Children's, Regional
  • Sidelines: Coffee/Tea, Greeting Cards/Postcards, Puzzles, Stationery, Toys/Games
  • Events: Author Signings, Book Clubs, Readings, Storytime
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Website

Plenty is a nonprofit bookshop in the heart of Historic Downtown Cookeville, Tennessee, offering a great variety of titles, and specializing in children’s books and gifts, as well as fine stationary, teas, and locally made gift items. We also love our book clubs, poetry nights, author events, and writers’ workshops!

Reading Rock Books

  • Reading Rock Books
  • 122 N. Main St.
  • City: Dickson
  • Phone: (615) 326-0401
  • Type: Primarily new with some used books
  • Specialty: General Interest, Children's
  • Sidelines: Artwork, Gifts, Greeting Cards/Postcards, Newspapers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Website

Reading Rock Books is an independently owned bookstore in the heart of Historic Downtown Dickson, Tennessee where people gather, embrace old ideas, discover new ideas, and build community. Everyone is welcome at Reading Rock Books because we believe that BOOKS ARE FOR EVERYONE.

Bound Booksellers

Bound Booksellers is an independent bookseller in Franklin, TN, in Westhaven’s Town Center.

Landmark Booksellers is located in circa 1808 building, in Historic Downtown Franklin, Tennessee. We offer new, old, and rare books.

The Next Chapter Bookshop is Gatlinburg’s only independent bookstore. Our slogan “Turn A Page, Go Anywhere” is a life philosophy we feel is worth pursuing at any stage of life.

  • Bubba's Book Swap
  • 331 E. Sullivan St.
  • City: Kingsport
  • Phone: (423) 245-2847
  • Type: Primarily used with some new books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Facebook
  • Website

Your community bookstore. We always offer trade credits on books, with cash offers made on select books. Bring books to the store for free evaluation. We’re always looking to network with local and regional authors, and teachers always get a discount.

  • Addison's
  • 126 S. Gay Street
  • City: Knoxville
  • Type: Used books, Rare books, Antiquarian books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Sidelines: Coffee/Tea
  • Events: Book Clubs
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Website

Addison’s is a two-story independent, used bookstore located in Knoxville, Tennessee. We specialize in rare and old books. But that’s not all. We also host events, get-togethers, and educational classes.  

The Bottom stands as a multi-use place to foster change and togetherness. As a nonprofit community center and Black-affirming bookshop, The Bottom is building community, celebrating culture, and engaging the creativity of Black people in Knoxville.

McKay’s is a one-of-a-kind shopping experience! People bring us their books, movies, videogames, music, etc, and we offer them cash or store credit.

Union Avenue Books

Union Ave Books is a comfortable place for downtown Knoxville dwellers and shoppers to browse, sip their coffee, and soak up the ambiance that only a bookstore can deliver. We offer hand-selected new and used books as well as decorative arts and gifts for all occasions. Special orders welcome and are usually on hand within three business days.

Harper's Books

Books, books, and more books. We will take your old books and music in trade.

Neighborly Books is Maryville TN’s hometown bookstore. We want to both reflect the tastes of Maryville as well as introduce new books and authors. We have your next favorite read.

Southland Books, Cafe and Bar

The biggest and best used bookstore in Maryville, Tennessee. Featuring locally roasted coffee and gluten free items in our cafe!

  • Book Traders
  • 6112 Quince at Ridgeway
  • City: Memphis
  • Phone: (901) 683-2367
  • Type: Primarily used with some new books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Website

Thousands of used hardback and paperback books in excellent condition. Serving the Memphis community since 1993.

Burke's Book Store

Located in the heart of the Cooper-Young neighborhood, in midtown Memphis, Burke’s Book Store is one of the oldest independent book stores in the country. Since 1875, Burke’s has provided Memphis with the finest selection of new, used, and rare books.

DeMoir Books & Things is a millennial-owned independent bookstore that provides new & used books, comics, vintage books, DVDs, apparel, collectibles, toys, and much more!

In January 2017, Memphis rallied to keep The Booksellers from closing. Through their support, our story continues. We hope you enjoy our new novel.

South Main Book Juggler

  • South Main Book Juggler
  • 548 S. Main
  • City: Memphis
  • Phone: (901) 249-5370
  • Type: Primarily new with some used books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Sidelines: Gifts, Greeting Cards/Postcards
  • Website

South Main Book Juggler provides new and used books, gifts, and greeting cards to Downtown Memphis. Somewhere between serious and silly.

Nashville’s Center for African-American books, educational materials, gifts and positive Afri-centric apparel.

The Bookshop

  • The Bookshop
  • 1043 W. Eastland Ave. #104
  • City: Nashville
  • Phone: (615) 485-5420
  • Type: New books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Sidelines: Gifts, Greeting Cards/Postcards, Puzzles
  • Events: Author Signings, Book Clubs, Storytime
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Website

The Bookshop is a cozy, 500-square-foot nook for people who love beautiful books, located in East Nashville. Owner Joelle Herr draws upon her nearly 20 years as a book editor to research and select each and every book—and bookish gift—in the shop. The carefully considered curation encompasses a wide range of topics, including literary fiction, children’s, science, history, cooking, art + design, poetry, music, memoir, and more.

We’re always buying books, and we pay top dollar for those we can use.

  • Elder's Bookstore
  • 101 White Bridge Rd.
  • City: Nashville
  • Phone: (615) 352-1562
  • Type: Used books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Website

Welcome to Elder’s Bookstore, the oldest and finest bookstore in Tennessee!

Providing heirloom quality toys, enriching literature, high quality art supplies, and educational games.

Used books, CDs, movies, and more.

Novelette Booksellers

We are Nashville’s only queer-owned bookstore! Novelette is a colorful, fun, safe space for people of all kinds to come find themselves in the pages of a book. We carry new books for all ages, host author events, and have monthly book clubs.

Mt. Parnassus in Greek mythology is the home of literature, learning and music. We will be Nashville’s Parnassus by providing a refuge for Nashvillians of all ages who share in the love of the written word.

  • Rhino Booksellers
  • 4918 Charlotte Pike
  • City: Nashville
  • Phone: (615) 279-0310
  • Type: Used books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Website

Rhino Booksellers is a neighborhood bookstore, locally owned and operated, specializing in gently used books, collectible firsts, fine instruments, and vintage vinyl records. We love readers, musicians, artists, writers, filmmakers, and photographers. Rhino is deeply committed to Nashville’s community of creative talent.

We want to remind you of a time and place where life was a little slower and maybe a bit more enjoyable, and to suggest that much of our product selection will bring back those memories . . . memories you might want to pass on to your kids and grandkids. Some enjoy visiting a place where the customer is appreciated and served. Where they can sit on a church pew and drink their Nehi, play a game of checkers, work on a puzzle, swap stories, read a book, meet new friends, or just relax. That’s what our place is all about.

Ghostlight Books is a non-profit used bookshop benefitting the Midsouth Youth Theatre & arts, providing youth community theatre and arts to Spring Hill and surrounding communities.

We carry both new and used books that cover a wide range of genres, including thrillers, contemporary fiction, romance, fantasy, and children’s literature.

  • White Pine Books
  • 1703 Main St
  • City: White Pine
  • Phone: (865) 761-0800
  • Type: New books, Used books
  • Specialty: General Interest
  • Sidelines: Puzzles, Vinyl
  • Facebook
  • Website

White Pine Books, located in White Pine, Tennessee, has more than 300,000 books, movies, CDs, puzzles, vinyl, and more. We carry both used and new books.