Novelette

Parker Stack, '23; Editor

Owned by a former Portlandia line cook and Sad Baxter frontman, Novelette is Nashville’s first queer-owned bookstore. Located on 1101 Chapel Avenue, Nashville TN 37206, the pink-and-yellow themed house of books sits smack dab in the middle of East Nashville’s arts scene (one mile away from Grimey’s and mere blocks away from La Maracas, East). “With an eye for inclusivity and celebration of our differences, Novelette strives to be inclusive to people of all backgrounds,” says Deezy of Novelette and Nashville’s alternative mainstay, Sad Baxter.

Kevin Brown, proud Novelette patron and Ensworth’s own, gives the independent bookstore a glowing review. “Books are mirrors and windows. Windows to worlds we don’t live in and mirrors that reflect ourselves. They put up a stack of books [at Novelette] I’ve never heard of before and bring those diverse perspectives to Nashville. Kids can walk in and see themselves represented and see other kinds of people they might not know in their own lives. That's what we need,” (Brown). Novelette reflects the prolific urbanization of Nashville and leads its community in creating an inclusive culture, reflecting the population of our city.

Co-owner, Jordan Tromblee, believes in this sentiment with her body and soul, “I felt like as a young queer person, I didn’t have many places where I could come in and get resources for myself,” Tromblee says. “We want to have a space where you can come in and find the tools that you need for self-exploration. We have a lot of books on gender and queer identity, a lot of books on typical thinking and bodies that are underrepresented — and we just want to be accessible and not somewhere where you walk in and you’re afraid to say, ‘Hey, is there a book about this?’ When shopping for your next novel, consider Novelette.