An Afternoon at Davis-Kidd Booksellers

There’s something really pleasant and satisfying about spending a rare snowy afternoon in a warm, cozy bookstore. I got a table in Bronte Bistro, the restaurant at Davis-Kidd Booksellers and watched the huge, fluffy flakes fall.

Tomato Bleu Cheese soup and a Pear and Bleu Cheese salad from Bronte

I ordered the house special soup (tomato and bleu cheese) and a pear and bleu cheese salad. I didn’t mean to have a meal so focused on one item, but it was apparently a bleu cheese sort of day. The soup was creamy and there was a good balance of flavors. The salad was topped with pear slices, almonds, bleu cheese crumbles, white raisins, and a little cup of sweet pear and poppy seed dressing.

Bronte’s menu is fairly expansive (they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner), and includes items from the many cookbooks sold in the store. They’ve also got coffee, wireless internet, and a bakery case full of yummy-looking desserts.

Inside Davis-Kidd Booksellers, Memphis, Tenn.

After lunch, I walked around the bookstore. Davis-Kidd is part of a small regional chain, but the store in the Laurelwood shopping center is very Memphis. There’s a large selection of books about Memphis history, culture, music and food and plenty of Memphis bands are represented in the music section.

Davis-Kidd is one of my favorite bookstores in Memphis. Their selection is huge, and the staff is friendly and willing to make recommendations. The store can be a bit chaotic, but it’s fairly easy to find what you’re looking for. When I’m looking for something new to read, I tend to start with the new releases area at the front of the store (conveniently broken into fiction and nonfiction, paperback and hardcover). And if you’re a magazine lover like me, you’ll appreciate their huge newsstand area’s comfy chairs and fireplace.

The store also carries lots of gift items, most of which are logically organized with the books. In the travel area, there are to-go mugs and laptop cases; in the cooking section, small food items. Davis-Kidd has a huge children’s area in the back of the store with books, toys that are set up for community play and a colorful storytime area.

Davis-Kidd Booksellers, Memphis, Tenn.

Davis-Kidd is also home to the East Memphis branch of the Orpheum Theatre’s box office. You can buy tickets to all of the Orpheum’s shows in the store.

The store also has loads of  book signings, discussions, and children’s events.

Go There:

Davis-Kidd Booksellers and Bronte Bistro

387 Perkins Ext.

Memphis, TN 38117