Out on a day date downtown and wanted to stop at a new-to-me bookstore within a short drive. Bear Den (punny and fabulous name) is in such a gorgeous, historic area of town. It is also perfectly situated a few doors down from Treetop Coffee Shop. Not only does Bear Den allow coffee in the shop, but said they encourage the combo. It is a somewhat small shop with ample space between aisles, perfectly sorted and organized genre sections and a few cozy reading chairs throughout. I especially liked the staff picks area and the local Knoxville shelf.
Co-owner, Taylor, was welcoming, friendly, and gave great book recommendations. I loved hearing more about their biz journey. Bear Den frequently hosts authors who will do readings, activities, etc. and they host other adventures for the local community, which Taylor says has embraced them with open arms. He also mentioned that you can request books to them for purchase if there's something you've been eyeing that they don't yet have in-store.
We walked out with one book for our kids that quickly has become the house favorite (Don't Hug Doug: (He Doesn't Like It)) and perfectly describes our youngest child. Can't wait to stop back in for more book treasures. Highly recommend, y'all! read more