Glitter, cookies, patterns and dragons welcomed customers at the grand opening of Novelette Booksellers — the first business to open in the repurposed retail building, Eastwood Village.
Cindy Abrams WPLN NewsA mural in the back corner of Novelette features a dragon reading a book. The artwork is by Kayla Fritz from Good Snake, who told the owners that their inspiration for the piece came from a painting that their grandmother had done.
But being an LGBTQ-owned business and the first in the space, which was once a church and school, has brought in pressure and excitement for co-owners Deezy Youngdahl and Jordan Tromblee.
“We’re just anticipating a few challenges of being the first business open in this complex where, you know, the more businesses that come in, the better it’ll be for us because we’ll be on a map more,” Tromblee said. “But we also kind of get to set the tone for what comes in.”
The inspiration behind the Lisa-Frank-meets-fantasy aesthetic of Novelette came from a desire to create a space where adults and children could be themselves and develop a passion for reading, says Youngdhal, who is also one half of the rock duo Sad Baxter.
“We just thought it would be really fun to have a bookstore that kind of reflected us, but also sort of like filled in the gaps in town because, while we love the other bookstores that are in town, there is definitely, like, a lack of color and a little bit of a lack of whimsy,” Youngdahl said. “And we just wanted to kind of fill that space in, so that children and adults could just have a fun, happy time when they walk in here.”
Cynthia Abrams WPLN NewsNovelette Booksellers co-owner Jordan Tromblee sits at the checkout desk below the new sign displaying the shop’s name. Tromblee’s partner, Bryan Lee Weaver, also helps run a local business, as chef and partner of Redheaded Stranger.
For Tromblee, it was also important that Novelette could be a resource for LGBTQ youth in the East Nashville neighborhood to find literature about topics they might be struggling to understand, such as sexual and gender identity.
“We just kind of wanted you to know right off the bat when you get in here: like, celebrate yourself,” Tromblee said. “You don’t have to hide. You can ask us anything. We’re here for you.”
The pair had expected to get to the opening day six months ago, but delays with permits forced them to get creative in how they could start selling their inventory. They say organizing pop-ups and offering free local deliveries, which they still plan to offer, helped them gain relevancy during that waiting period.
Now that Novelette is open, Tromblee and Youngdahl hope to start book clubs and events that incorporate music — just not Sad Baxter’s loud music, Youngdahl says.
Cindy Abrams WPLN NewsCaroline and Rosabelle DuBois browse the shelves in Novelette Booksellers.
Mother and daughter pair Caroline and Rosabelle DuBois were the first to check out Novelette, which Rosabelle said she had heard about via Instagram. Caroline, who is a children’s book author, said she was glad to have another space in town where stories could be shared.
Cindy Abrams WPLN NewsThe front door of Novelette Booksellers’ new brick-and-mortar location
Since Rosabelle works with children, she says she looks forward to having a place to get them excited about reading.
“I think this space brings that fun into literature,” she said.
The store will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.
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