Addison’s Bookstore opened in June 2022 at 126 S. Gay St. It is the only used bookstore downtown, selling old and rare books, and is run by Brian Worley, whose lifelong dream was to own a bookstore. Finally succeeding in accomplishing that dream, Worley runs Addison’s Bookstore with the intention of having people of all ages enjoy the books he sells.
“I felt there was a niche for old books in Knoxville,” Worley said. “I wanted to have a space in an older environment and to hold events in that place. I enjoy exploring something different than a normal bookstore.”
One of Worley’s sales associates who also prices books, Mary Jacque Wynn, praised the store.
“It’s the best place I could’ve found. This place is a joy– it’s calm, beautiful, the people are friendly — what else? How much better can it be?” Wynn said.
The store is organized with a collection of rare books on the first floor, with plenty of spaces to sit and read available. Also on the first floor, there is a tea bar that specializes in Chinese tea. This bar is run by a separate company, but the sale of each product benefits the other. Downstairs, there is a carefully curated collection of books following a theme — right now, it’s a Christmas collection. Before that, it was books on witchcraft and ghosts for Halloween, and their first collection was about Greek and Roman mythology.
Addison’s Bookstore opened in June 2022 at 126 S. Gay St. On the first floor, there is a tea bar that specializes in Chinese tea.
Not only is the store calm and beautiful like Wynn said, but it’s also treated like a home. The store is named primarily after Worley’s daughter, Addison, but the name also runs through his family. The store is an abode and Worley takes care to build his collection of books at the store similarly to how he has built his personal collection at his home.
“There’s joy in building a library,” Worley said. “I choose books not just for people to read, but for people to enjoy the history of old books. Sometimes there are inscriptions, memories, illustrations by famous illustrators that are gone now, or things that people left in their book when they last read it. It brings an interesting perspective to the book — knowing that other people read it in a completely different time.”
For the same reason, Wynn expressed her love for the historical fiction genre.
“(The subject) is real and it happened. People are interested in researching and writing about the lives of the people who lived through history. We want to sell these books for the same reason, so people can read about the lives of others,” Wynn said.
Wynn and Worley also divulged their favorite books and recommended them to anyone looking for something to read. Wynn’s is “Fall of Giants” by Ken Follet and Worley’s is “West with the Night” by Beryl Markham. Both are historical novels, with “Fall of Giants” being historical fiction and “West with the Night” being a memoir.
For Worley, procuring the books that he sells is not as difficult as one might think. He has the option of going to estate, library, and private sales, as well as sources asking if he’s interested in what they might have to sell. He mostly gets his old books from a collector who has been in the game for 30 years and is slowly selling her collection.
An array of old and rare books located at Addison's Bookstore.
As for his oldest book in the store for sale currently, Worley has a version of Homer’s “Iliad” from 1572, with Greek on one side of the page and Latin on the other. Additionally, he has gathered many first editions of books like “To Kill a Mockingbird” or from authors such as Mark Twain and Washington Irving. They also have magazines with original articles in them that were written by the likes of James Agee and Ernest Hemingway.
Finally, Worley also hopes to utilize the bookstore as a place where classes can take place. In the past, he has hired guest lecturers to teach classes on topics such as the life of James Agee and the basics of book collecting. He hopes to host more of these classes in the new year.
Along with classes, Addison’s Books hosts book club meetings and game nights. There is a game night this coming Friday, Dec. 9, and there will be Harry Potter trivia for the first part of the night with small prizes for the winners. The event will begin at 7 p.m. and go until 9 p.m. and Worley is very much looking forward to it. He invites anyone to come and hopes to see a great turnout.
