In recent years, many small businesses have been forced out of the market by retail giants like Amazon. Consumers abandoned traditional brick-and-mortar stores for the convenience of online shopping, stripping communities across the country of essential gathering spaces.
Locally owned independent bookstores are working to fill this gap, however, especially in places like Knoxville, Tennessee.
Sara Holladay and Jill Van Beke had been friends for years, but they only became business partners last fall when they decided they wanted to open a bookstore — The Hive Bookshop.
“We wanted something where we could give to other people what we have had amongst each other,” Holladay said. “What better thing could you put in this place than somewhere where people like to hang out and just, you know, talk to each other?”
And in the two months since the Hive opened its doors, it became clear to Holladay and Van Beke that they had accomplished their goal.
In June, the store hosted its inaugural book club, during which readers connected over themes in Christina Baker Kline’s newest novel, “The Foursome.”
“Its a great space to like form opinions and express them, because it is sort of a safer space to have a discussion than say something in real life,” Van Beke explained.
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While there are a number of other types of stores the two could’ve created, Holladay said she felt books bring people together in a way that not many other things can.
“I think when you read a book, you have a different perspective than somebody else who read that exact same book,” she said. “And I think that being able to find people who enjoy the same books as you is a really bonding experience in a different way than, ‘Hey, you really liked that same shirt I did.'”
While the shelves at the Hive provide readers with a variety of genres to explore, other shops were created with a more specific kind of community in mind.
As a lifelong romance lover, Rayanne Streeter was fed up with the stigma surrounding her favorite genre. In 2024, she decided to create Good Girl Books, a romance-only mobile book truck.
A year later, she teamed up with her friend Lauren Morrill to transform the truck into Tennessee’s first and only brick-and-mortar romance bookstore. Since then, Morrill said Good Girl Books has shown Knoxville what happens when smutty books are celebrated, not shamed.
“Somebody will be holding a book, somebody’s like, ‘Oh, I read that, it’s really good,'” Morrill said. “Next thing you know, they’re talking about the book, and then they’re exchanging numbers to get coffee.”
Despite what the name suggests, Good Girl Books is open to everyone. The Good Boys Book Club allows men to engage with the romance genre in a genuine way, free from the pressures of toxic masculinity.
Morrill said it has been even more successful than she and Streeter imagined.
“That first meeting they had, they were here for like two hours,” she said. “They talked about the book, they talked about how hard it is to make friends as an adult, and they went from that first meeting to now they have a Discord, and now they’re getting matching tattoos.”
Good Girl Books also hosts a number of events like book bedazzling, watch parties and “Rom-Commentaries,” which Streeter said is one of the most fulfilling parts of the job.
“Those moments are truly what we do this for, to help someone find that book, to fall in love with reading again,” she said
Independent booksellers offer readers a more personalized shopping experience than big retailers.
Rhiannon McDaniel is an assistant manager at Fable Hollow Coffee & Bookshoppe in Fountain City. She said by forming relationships with customers, she’s able to suggest books tailored to their tastes.
“I have had customers that didn’t even ask for a recommendation, but I’m just like, ‘You remind me of this book, I’m not even trying to make you buy this book, but you need to read the back, because it reminds me of you,'” McDaniel said.
Much like Good Girl Books’ romance aesthetic, Fable Hollow caters to the local fantasy fanatics. Assistant Manager Kae Childress said that’s what drew her to the shop in the first place.
“Whenever you step in here, it feels like your problems don’t exist anymore,” she said. “You’re in this cozy, fantastical place, and you’re stepping into another world. I wanted to work here because I wanted to be a part of that experience and give that experience to other people.”
The revival of independent bookstores is not a phenomenon unique to Knoxville. According to a report from the American Booksellers Association, 605 brick-and-mortar, mobile, pop-up and online bookstore opened across the country in 2025 — increasing the group’s membership by 19% .
So whether you are looking to fall in love with a new book bae, embark on an epic quest or just meet some new friends, an independent bookstore might be the perfect place to start.
This story was produced by the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, a collaboration between West Virginia Public Broadcasting, WPLN and WUOT in Tennessee, LPM, WEKU, WKMS and WKU Public Radio in Kentucky, and NPR. Sign up for the weekly Porch Light newsletter here for news from around the region.
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