Rhino Booksellers - Nashville, TN

January 17, 2024

Store Name: Rhino Booksellers

Location: Nashville, TN

Visit Time: Saturday Jan 13, 2024 4:30pm

Website: Rhino Booksellers

Phone: (615) 279-0310

Type: Used Books

"Rhino Booksellers is a neighborhood bookstore committed to Nashville’s community of creative talent. We welcome all readers, musicians, artists, writers, filmmakers & photographers." - rhinobooksellers.com/

On day two of our Nashville trip we hit a few more bookstores. Rhino's was in what looked like an old working class neighborhood on a main thoroughfare that was starting to revitalize. Plenty of parking across the street at Richland Park.

Apparently my daughter didn't see the name of the store when we walked in. The first question she asked the guy behind the counter was "What's with all the Rhino's?" With a little chuckle he said, "that's the name of the store." I asked why the store was named Rhino to which he explained "Because Rhino's are endangered much like people who read books." Perhaps the owner, Fred Koller, read Nostradamus when he was younger considering he had been in business since 1975...that name is apropos!

First impressions of Rhino's was books crammed everywhere which is my kind of bookstore!! In fact, of the 5 stores we visited while in Nashville, I'd say this one is my favorite. Rhino's is what I would call an "old school" used bookstore where the number of books you have is a little more important than the lighting and decor. The stacks have a musty smell and its a little dusty having been there for so long. However, there are also plenty of Rhinos around the store, interesting paintings, and signage, it's just secondary to the mass of books they have in the space of a medium sized store.

There's a great section of mysteries here. One of the first book series I started collecting was John Creasey's The Toff because I happened to pick one off my mom's bookshelves when I was in high school. It's not a common author in most used bookstores but especially any newer used bookstores. However in these old school bookstores I usually have luck finding a few copies and lo and behold I found 3 different books in the series. Unfortunately I already had those books. In fact I have every book in the series except one which has proven very hard to find used copies for any reasonable price that you'd want to risk actually reading it! In case you find it, I'm looking for The Toff Goes On, so drop me a line if you run across it!

Since 1975

The book selection is slanted a little toward the arts as the quote above from their website suggests. However as mentioned there's a great section of mysteries and most other genres are represented in some form or fashion. There are several cabinets of what look more like vintage or antique books as well. And a small selection of vintage vinyl!

While hanging out at the cash register before checking out we chatted with the guy running the store and what seemed to be a frequent patron who were both chatting away when we came in. They included us in their conversation like we were regular customers or friends. I joked about the type of store being like a treasure hunt where you can stumble on any number of books you had been previously searching for. They commented on how its sometimes a treasure hunt for them where patrons will find a book they want but not have the cash that day so they stash it away in a different section! You can take that as a hint from me in case you run across one of those John Creasey books I'm looking for 😉

What bookstore would be complete without a resident animal? Rhino's has Charlotte a grey cat with a cleft palette according to my daughter's conversation with the guys up front. She's aptly named after the street the bookstore is located on where they found her and took her in. She's a little skittish around the store but seems quite at home there in other pictures I've found of her.

Lastly, it wouldn't be a Nashville bookstore without some instruments hanging around. I asked who's guitars were hanging near the checkout. Turns out they are the owner's guitars and he's also been a song writer since the time he started the bookstore. When in Rome...