If you want a unique vibe in Nashville, visit the city’s many independent bookstores and small, locally-owned coffee shops. Nashville is home to a thriving local business community full of locally-owned shops. Some of Nashville’s unique character and culture are found when perusing small businesses offering a more personal shopping and sipping experience than local chain stores. This post focuses on coffee shops and bookstores, but many other independent shops in Nashville include record stores, vintage clothing stores, and restaurants.
Check out these books and brews the next time you are out and about in Nashville!
Bookshops
Parnassus Books
Co-owned by author Ann Patchett, Parnassus Books is a popular bookstore in the Green Hills area of Nashville. The bookstore has a comfortable atmosphere, welcoming for those who want to sit and read.
Address: 3900 Hillsboro Pike Suite 14 Nashville, TN 37215
Novelette Booksellers
A bit newer than some of the other locally owned shops Novelette Booksellers is making a footprint on the city in its colorful, bright shop location in East Nashville.
Address: 1101 Chapel Avenue Suite 108 Nashville, TN 37206
Rhino Booksellers
This shop specializes in used and rare books. Rhino Booksellers is located in the Sylvan Park neighborhood of Nashville. Although the store specializes in used, rare titles, they also offer new releases, and the store features a dedicated section for Nashville-based writers.
Address: 4918 Charlotte Avenue Nashville, TN 37209
East Side Story
Located in the city's popular East Nashville neighborhood area, East Side Story offers a unique selection of books, including zines, comics, and graphic novels.
Address: temporary location inside the Art and Invention Gallery, 1106 Woodland Street Nashville, TN 37206
The Bookshop
A cozy, welcoming spot in the East Nashville area with comfortable chairs and a wide selection of books in a variety of genres. The Bookshop mainly focuses on new releases and best sellers.
Address: 1043 West Eastland Ave. Nashville, TN 37206
Coffeeshops
Crema
Crema has two locations, a perfect SoBro (south of Broadway) downtown spot popular with locals and tourists and an East Nashville location. Crema Coffee Shop is known for its carefully curated coffee menu featuring specialty drinks made with single-origin globally sourced beans.
Locations:
- Downtown 15 Hermitage Ave Nashville, TN 37210
- East Nashville (takeaway cafe) 226 Duke St. Nashville, TN 37207
Three Brothers Coffee
Known as one of the most instagrammable spots in Nashville, Three Brothers Coffee has a creative black-and-white hallway perfect for creating your social media content. You can grab something to sip from their menu full of specialty drinks, including blended coffees, lattes, and cappuccinos.
Address: 2813 West End Avenue Nashville, TN 37203
Drug Store Coffee
This unique coffee spot is located inside the Noelle Hotel. It derives its name because the location was previously the home of a drug store counter at Noel Place, one of Nashville’s first luxury properties. Although the coffee shop is in a hotel, it is located at street level for easy access by hotel guests, locals, and site seers walking by.
Address: 200 Fourth Avenue North Nashville, TN 37219
Ugly Mugs Coffee
Combining a low-key atmosphere and live music, this East Nashville coffee shop is a local favorite. The menu features a wide variety of coffee selections and specialty drinks from coffee roasted in Nashville at Drew’s Brews.
Address: 1886 Eastland Avenue Nashville, TN 37206
Dose Coffee & Tea
With three locations around the city, Dose is well-known by locals for high-quality coffee and tea. The menu contains various coffee drinks, loose-leaf teas, and tea lattes. Dose has a full bar in their East Nashville, Riverside Village location serving beer and cocktails with (of course!) a popular coffee cocktail, the “Dram Bomb.”
Locations:
- West End 3431 Murphy Road Nashville TN 37203
- Riverside Village 1400 McGavock Pike Nashville TN 37216
- Old Hickory Village 700 Hadley Ave. Old Hickory, TN 37138
Nashville is a great place for book lovers and coffee lovers. If you are local or just passing through the vibrant independent book and coffee shop scene in and around the city provides plenty of options for everyone. Many of these coffee shops offer a selection of food choices, and some have live music performances, author events, and other events throughout the year.
Sticking to familiar, fast-chain coffee places and bookstores can be tempting. The benefits of branching out and finding unique local spots if you live local or are in Nashville for a weekend far outweigh sticking with mainstream places. When finding local spots, you will have a more personalized, interesting experience and the satisfaction of knowing you are supporting small business owners.
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