In the age of social media, people should be more connected than ever. But between the loneliness epidemic and a lack of communal spaces, finding companionship is harder than ever. Luckily, a solution has emerged in the form of independent bookstores.
Fable Hollow Coffee & Bookshoppe opened its doors in 2023, hosting events like live Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. Since then, it has been a haven for fantasy lovers, families and students like Max Hunt who recently partook in the shop's poetry open mic night.
Hunt goes to Fable Hollow almost every day to study and write. He says the shop’s welcoming environment is what keeps him coming back.
“I go to a lot of poetry readings that are for MFAs, but I find that the environment here is a lot more supportive and a lot more open,” he said.
Despite challenges posed by online retail giants like Amazon, independent booksellers are on the rise. A report from the American Booksellers Association finds over 600 new bookstore businesses opened in 2025, with nearly 300 planning to open their doors this year.
Collaboration is one way small businesses like independent bookstores are competing with big box stores.
Jade Dembo is the owner of the Whimsy Emporium in Knoxville, a gift shop that sells curiosities and pieces from local artisans. She was one of the store’s first and most consistent supporters.
“I heard about Fable Hollow actually on social media several months before they had even opened, and I was one of their first contributors. I donated money, and I also create their custom candles here," she said.
Another way independent bookstores are setting themselves apart is by catering to certain types of readers. Good Girl Books is Tennessee’s first romance-only brick and mortar bookstore. Owners and best friends Rayanne Streeter and Lauren Morrill say they wanted to create a space that celebrates a genre that is often shamed.
At events like their “Silent” Book Clubs, readers of all genres are invited to join Streeter and Morrill at local breweries to hang out, chat about new chapters or read solo.
While it can be daunting to strike up a conversation with a stranger, Cate Bolden says events like these create a common ground.
“It's great to meet other people who are interested in the same things I'm interested in, and the books are an easy way to talk to people,” she said. “Someone came out to me while I was waiting in line to buy a beer and was like, ‘What did you buy? What's your haul?’”
For Callie Snell, it's just about finding a time and place to connect with others.
“It’s just a third space, which people are kind of desperate for.” she said.
And she’s not wrong, chains like Starbucks have had to rethink their business strategy in recent years. In 2024, the company hired a new CEO whose goal was to shift the store's image back into a space where people would want to hang out, rather than use the drive thru.
Meeting readers halfway
Linda Marie-Barrett is the executive director of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. She says that by connecting with customers on a deeper level, independent booksellers can provide a tailored experience and atmosphere.
“You’re kind of like a bartender or a therapist when you’re a bookseller. So, you have a really good insight into what your community might be missing or needing,” she said.
The Bottom is a testament to that. The non-profit was founded by sociologist Dr. Enkeshi El-Amin and named after Knoxville’s first Black neighborhood that was systematically erased by urban renewal policies.
Anastasia Williams is the bookshop director there. As a lifelong reader, she knows first-hand just how important representation is, noting a disparity in published works by Black authors.
“It was pretty remarkable when I read my first like Toni Morrison and realized — oh, Black people can be front and center in a work of literature,” she said.
The Bottom also spearheads a number of advocacy initiatives, including one that challenges the recent surge in book bans.
A report from PEN America, a nonprofit organization focused on combating censorship, documented nearly seven thousand instances of books being banned in the 2024-2025 school year. While Florida tops the charts with nearly three thousand titles banned, Tennessee is not far behind.
The Bottom’s Banned Book Club gets its curriculum from a list of over a hundred titles banned by the Knox County School Board. Previous reads include Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye" and Angie Thomas’ “The Hate You Give.” Both of which were pulled from shelves for violating the Age-Appropriate Materials Act passed by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2022.
While most book clubs offer readers an escape, Banned Book Club member Sarah Taylor says this one has prompted her to get more involved beyond the page.
“I hadn't realized that book bans were as big of a deal as they are, so I did go to the school board meeting and learned a lot about the local politics,” she said, “That was really an education for me.”
Taking a page out of their book
The success that independent bookstores have seen has been recognized by national chains.
Barnes & Noble was forced to re-evaluate their philosophy following Amazon’s success in the 2010s. Instead of capitulating to publishers or pushing generic bestsellers, they decided to loosen the reins and let employees determine what titles got the prime spots on their shelves.
So if you've been looking for a place to meet new people, express your creativity or get involved in your community, independent bookstores might be the perfect place to start.