About Me
Founded in 1980 by two social workers, Karen Davis and Thelma Kidd, Davis-Kidd grew to three bookstores in Tennessee.Our flagship store is in Nashville, capital of the state, center of the country music industry, and host to several academic communities. Davis-Kidd Nashville has been the hands-down winner among bookstores in "best of" polls by media outlets year after year.Our second store was opened in 1985 in Memphis, the largest city in Tennessee and home of the Blues and Elvis. In 1996, a new, expanded Memphis store was opened just a few steps from the old location.In 1986, we added our third store in Knoxville, home of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Davis-Kidd Knoxville is well-known for its enthusiastic support of East Tennessee writers and its outstanding inventory of books of local and regional interest. The Knoxville store closed its doors in January of 2000 after 14 years of exceptional independent bookselling in Knoxville.
In 1997, Karen Davis and Thelma Kidd decided to retire from the business. It was crucial to Karen and Thelma that their philosophy of bookselling continue. Neil and Mary Beth Van Uum, owners of Joseph-Beth Booksellers, having already drawn a tremendous amount of inspiration from this successful company, was the perfect candidate to take Davis-Kidd into the new century. Both Davis-Kidd and Joseph-Beth, located in Lexington, Kentucky and Cincinnati , Ohio shared the same basic philosophy of outstanding customer service. So, in October, 1997, the Davis-Kidd stores became a part of The Joseph-Beth Group.The company continues to grow and evolve, and in late 2003 we opened a new store in the new lifestyle center of Legacy Village, located in the Cleveland suburbs. We believe this is one of the most exciting developments in northern Ohio in many years, and we are delighted and honored to be part of it.Our store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania celebrated their grand opening on November 17th, 2004. We are part of the SouthSide Works development on the waterfront of the Monongahela River in the South Side neighborhood. The area is already a popular destination for residents, visitors, professionals and university students and we at Joseph-Beth look forward to offering all of them a unique and unforgettable shopping experience.Our newest Joseph-Beth store opens in Charlotte, North Carolina on April 29th, 2005. Adjacent to the SouthPark Mall, the premier shopping destination for the Carolinas, the spot is centered in one of Charlotte's most beautiful and busiest neighborhoods. We are thrilled to call Charlotte our new home.Today, the Joseph-Beth Group is one of the nation’s strongest and most prosperous independent bookselling companies.
