Southern Bookstores Byway: Landmark Booksellers
Maybe it’s become a familiar story—book lovers open a bookstore—but Landmark Booksellers in Franklin is an exceptional difference, and their name suggests why.
With twenty years of experience behind them now, Carol and Joel Tomlin have built another landmark in Middle Tennessee, a place that serves as a literary hub for the region, thanks to their dedication to local writers, Southern literature, and a deep-rooted desire to promote both.
When you step into their “book lover’s paradise,” just off the downtown Franklin square at 114 East Main, you can feel the history because the building itself is a landmark.
When the building was erected, what would become the United States was a fledgling thirty-something year old nation. Since its construction—sometime between 1806 and 1808—the site has been a bank, cotton mill store, juke joint, Civil War hospital, restaurant, and antique shop.
Its architecture even tells a story. The Greek Revival style features dominant white pillars that are impossible to miss. Inside you’ll find a warm and welcoming place separated by stuffed shelves and various rooms that are at once comfortable and inviting.
Starting with 35,000 books in 2005, that Joel and Carol purchased when Dad’s Old Bookstore in Nashville closed its doors, the Landmark collection has grown to 60,000 titles, and offers new, cared for, rare, and hard-to-find books, as well as more than 1,500 signed first editions.
Landmark is a destination and venue for visiting writers. Their website keeps book fans aware of readings and signings by local authors and those passing through who recognize Landmark as an essential stop to promote their craft.
Porchlight is proud to partner with Landmark as one of the stops on its Southern Bookstores Byway that crosses five states as it loops through the Southern literary landscape.
Check out the link below, featuring each stop on The Southern Bookstores Byway.
