Help Launch Novelette Booksellers

Summary

Novelette Booksellers brings a glitter explosion of joy and vibrancy into the Nashville indie bookstore scene. In a city tired of Amazon and cookie-cutter bookstore chains, Novelette will excite and inspire both longtime readers or those looking to overcome a lifelong reading slump.

Novelette will boast a highly curated selection of both fiction and non-fiction books by diverse authors, and a great selection of graphic novels--a genre which Nashville has been sorely lacking. With an eye for inclusivity and celebration of our differences, Novelette strives to be a safe space for people of all backgrounds. Pops of bright, rich colors with moody, dark walls will give Novelette a lux but cozy vibe that will catch eyes, but the passion for books and the comforting warmth of the Novelette community is what will keep people coming back.

In addition to books, a selection of goodies by local artists will make for great souvenirs or gifts for anyone--whether they are bookish themselves or just happened to be dragged into the shop by a roving book maniac. Hosting intimate readings and book-related events, customizing the shop's recommendations by zodiac signs, moods, and more, and keeping up an interactive, personable social media presence, Novelette plans to become Nashville's destination book shop.

With strong roots in Nashville’s food and music scenes, partners Jordan Tromblee and Deezy Violet will bring their infectious passion for fun and community into the world of books with Novelette.

Who We Are

We are Jordan Tromblee and Deezy Violet. You may know Jordan from the food scene here in Nashville, working at her executive chef husband’s beloved taco joint, Redheaded Stranger. You also may know me, Deezy, if you’re into the music scene, as I front the grunge rock band Sad Baxter. We met in 2016 at Butcher & Bee, where Jordan’s husband was the executive chef at the time, and I was waiting tables. Knowing I was waiting on my boss’s fiancee, I felt the pressure subside as I saw Jordan was reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides at her table, a book I had thoroughly enjoyed. We struck up a friendship, where books were always discussed, traded, bought together, and constantly referenced back to. In March 2020, I was in Columbus, Ohio, setting up at a Sad Baxter show-- later that night we would decide to cut the tour short due to the troubling news of COVID-19 on the rise in the USA. This same night was when I got a text message from Jordan, who had been thinking that the two of us should open a book shop.

Though excited over this huge decision, we both knew the reality of what was happening with COVID meant having to wait to put any plans into action. We spent all of 2020 daydreaming and sharing ideas about our future shop. Finally, as we got vaccinated and were finally able to meet in person, we began to put plans for Novelette into action.

Novelette's Impact on Nashville

With both of us identifying as queer, we have a strong desire to make our shop a safe space for all LGBTQ+ people. Growing up with such underrepresentation in the books we had access to has fueled us to carry books by authors of diverse backgrounds so that everyone who walks through Novelette’s door can find themselves within the pages of our books.

We plan to host a regular LGBTQ+ book club to keep a spotlight on great books by queer authors, and to create a space where people feel safe to not only be themselves, but celebrate who they are. In addition to this, it is important to us to use our space for facilitating great and intimate events for marginalized authors. We hope to do Nashville right by having stories by authors of all demographics, since Nashville is a community of people from all walks of life.

What We Need & What It Goes Towards

While we are working on securing a small business loan and have received a few generous investments, we are asking for support from our community, friends, and fellow passionate book lovers. We have found a space we are hoping to set up shop at, and any amount donated here will go towards things like the shop’s rent, bookshelves and tables for display, inventory (aka books!), our computer system, signage, and much more. While our goal here is to raise $25,000, we have our fingers, toes, and eyes crossed that we can exceed this goal. Every little bit helps, and all of your generous donations will be poured lovingly into our dream book shop--which we know will be your dream book shop too!

How Else You Can Help

We know these are trying times, and not everyone who wants to support us can spare some cash to go towards our startup capital. If you are looking for other ways to help, you can sign up for our email newsletter by going to our website (www.novelettebooksellers.com) or by following us on social media (@novelettebooksellers) and sharing our page and our posts to help spread the word! Sharing the link to this campaign will also benefit us so much, and we ask that you consider sharing it with any people you think may be interested in learning about and helping Novelette. Thank you so much for taking the time to check out our Gofundme--we can’t wait to see you once our doors open!