Behind the Scenes With The Bookshop's Joelle Herr

Long before Joelle Herr took the leap and opened The Bookshop in East Nashville in 2016, she lived a life surrounded by books. Prior to going out on her own, she worked in book publishing as an editor for nearly 20 years. But Joelle’s love of books goes back much further. Her parents, who are both big readers, nurtured her interest in reading from an early age. Joelle grew up in Franklin and has fond memories of frequently visiting Lori’s, an independent bookstore in town, with her mom. She remembers thinking, even then, how lucky Lori was to have her own bookstore. Unfortunately, Lori passed away before Joelle had the chance to let her know how much that store meant to her when she was growing up and that she had opened her own.

At a mere — and absolutely charming — 500 square feet, The Bookshop holds a curated selection of books, all thoughtfully hand-chosen by Joelle. After the pandemic hit, her faithful customers showed their support by purchasing books for pickup through her newly built site. When she cautiously reopened the doors, they jumped at the chance to schedule browsing visits, which ultimately led to the purchases that helped her make it through the past 18 months. One thing she’s really missed and looks forward to bringing back is hosting in-person events again, especially the regular Saturday storytime for children. We had the pleasure of catching up with Joelle in The Bookshop, and she shared what books are on her nightstand, what makes the store so special and her favorite local product.

What books are currently on your nightstand? So many! All’s Well by Mona Awad, Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead, My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones, Keeping the House by Tice Cin, Assembly by Natasha Brown, Bewilderment by Richard Powers and many more. My nightstand is actually a bookshelf.

Who is your favorite author? Ottessa Moshfegh. She’s not for everyone, but definitely for those who like complex and flawed characters (with insightful psychology to back up their behavior), who appreciate prose that’s sharp-edged and whip-smart, and who prefer their humor dark, dark. Her first novel, Eileen, a noir, is a good one to start with.

What makes The Bookshop different from other bookstores? We’re tiny, so we’re super-curated; I select every single book in the shop. At the same time, we offer a pretty wide range of genres. One of my favorite customer exclamations has been, “There’s no filler in here! Every single book is amazing, and I want one of each.”

Is there a difference between the way you organize books at The Bookshop and at home? I love this question! I loosely group my books at home by genre or mood, which is what we do at the shop. There’s no alphabetizing at home, though.

Is there a favorite book or author you like to give as a gift? There isn’t any one specific book or author that I tend to give. It’s kind of the opposite, actually; I enjoy mulling and selecting the perfect book for each recipient.

What has surprised you most about owning a bookstore? I’m admittedly an awkward introvert, so I was originally a little worried about the customer interaction day in and day out, but honestly, our customers are so very lovely and loyal and supportive. Some have even become friends. It’s been an unexpected gift.

What’s your favorite restaurant? Is a bakery a restaurant? Definitely the everything croissant tart from Brightside Bakeshop, which is dangerously close to home.

What’s your favorite locally made product? My partner builds drums, so I’d say his gorgeous line of Hello Drum snare drums, even though I have zero rhythm.

What is one luxury you can’t live without? Writers’ Tears whiskey

If you could have three people over for dinner, who would they be? Leonora Carrington, James Baldwin, Fleur Cowles. (Although, I’m sure I’d remain mute with awe and intimidation the whole gathering.)

What’s the one thing you hope never changes in Nashville? I hope Nashvillians continue to value — and support — local restaurants and shops, like The Bookshop.