Deep Vellum Books & Publishing in Dallas was named one of the 20 Best Independent Bookstores in America by Condé Nast Traveler.
The publication is known for its popular roundups which take a closer look at topics ranging from bookstores to hotels to carry-ons to restaurants and everything in between to give readers the best recommendations possible. Now, Kat Chen, who is the editorial assistant for the company’s destinations vertical, is showing everyone why Deep Vellum is the best indie bookstore in all of Texas.
Founded in 2013 by Will Evans, Deep Vellum is located in the Deep Ellum neighborhood at 3000 Commerce St. In Chen’s write-up, she mentions that the bookstore is “one of the country’s premier translators of contemporary global literature,” and that it “makes exploration approachable,” even for those who may initially feel intimidated by its “esoteric” collection. (Esoteric basically refers to knowledge that’s only understood by a small group of people and can often be seen as isolating because of this, so Chen’s saying Deep Vellum is good about making sure that everyone who visits the bookshop feels understood, which is a huge selling point if you ask me).
When Evans founded Deep Vellum originally, he opened it as a nonprofit publishing house and literary arts center for the community to enjoy. It wasn’t until 2015 that he decided to add the bookstore as another way of connecting with writers and readers who were seeking a comfortable place to buy books and discuss them with others.
Speaking with Condé Nast Traveler about Deep Ellum and why it was appealing to open his business there, Evans said, “Right now, it’s a very urban neighborhood, but it was originally created [in 1873] by formerly enslaved people after the Civil War — It quickly integrated in a way that no other neighborhood in Dallas ever integrated, where you would have Black-owned, white-owned, Jewish-owned, and Mexican-owned businesses in the same neighborhood.”
This sense of connection and acceptance is one of the primary reasons why Chen says Deep Vellum is so appealing. Plus, you can “crack into a can of craft beer, gaze at the wall plastered with polaroids of smiling patrons, and tuck into an engrossing read on one of the tweed armchairs” during your visit.
If that sounds appealing to you, just wait until you hear about the upcoming events scheduled at the bookshop/publishing house over the next few months.
Deep Vellum regularly hosts events
In addition to selling and publishing books and functioning as a community-based literary arts center, Deep Vellum regularly hosts book clubs, reading hours, and author events throughout the year. (Click here to take a look at the schedule for May.)
The store is also gearing up for its first ever Deep Vellum Music and Literature Festival taking place from July 10 through July 12. The festival is set to include author panels, live music, spoken word, literary readings, and more. It’ll take place inside, so you’ll be able to get some relief from the heat as you browse for books and make new friends. Additional details, such as ticket prices, are forthcoming.
For Will Evans, hosting the Deep Vellum Music and Literature Festival is another easy way of showcasing how vibrant and important Dallas’s literary scene is. When speaking with Condé Nast Traveler, he referenced a 24-hour “Moby Dick” reading that was previously hosted at the bookstore and that he also “had a table at the Dallas Art Book Fair at the Dallas Contemporary art museum, which our former store manager helped co-found with a guy from the Contemporary.” Evans said, “You look at that, and it’s like, that’s a literary city.”
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
