New Downtown Memphis bookstore aims to be a 'powerful space': A look inside DeMoir Books
"Literacy has been my life and my career as long as I've been an adult."
So says Jeremee DeMoir, owner of Memphis' non-church-affiliated Black-owned bookstore, DeMoir Books & Things, which in May had a Downtown "grand opening" at 55 S. Main, within an enticing stretch of the Main Street Mall that also includes River City Records and multiple bars and restaurants.
Before fulfilling his longtime dream of being a bookstore owner, DeMoir, 31, was a teacher at various Shelby County schools (most recently, White Station Middle School). He also works with Literacy Mid-South, supervising 44 of the tutors who assist students learning to read in the school system. In addition, writing as "Jay DeMoir," he is the author of numerous novels, notably the "Across the Stars" Young Adult science-fiction series, about teenage superhuman secret agents.
To summarize: Teacher, tutor, author, bookstore owner. As DeMoir's Amazon author's bio states: "As a child Jay DeMoir discovered that his life could be a whirlwind of adventures by simply opening a book and reading. To this day, reading is his favorite thing in the world."
The DeMoir Books storefront at 55 S. Main is industrial-chic yet cozy — a thousand-square-foot, high-ceilinged rectangle with attractively exposed brickwork along two of the walls, a welcoming central couch, and shelves and tables displaying books and gifts, including such titles as "The Color Purple," the collected "Watchmen" comic books, Barbra Streisand's new autobiography, Tara M. Stringfellow's "Memphis" (of course), and — placed with its cover in full, defiant view — George M. Johnson's 2020 memoir "All Boys Aren't Blue," which DeMoir described as "the most banned book in America."
Summarized by its publisher as a book about "the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys," the book testifies to DeMoir's particular mission as a store with an emphasis on LGBTQ+ and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) representation. "This sets us apart from our friends who operate the other independent bookstores," DeMoir said, mentioning Burke's, Novel and the South Main Book Juggler.
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"I really want to be intentional about the books I bring in," said store co-manager Diana Townsend, 41, who, like DeMoir is a Memphis-raised teacher and published author. (She was this year's winner of the Memphis Public Libraries' Richard Wright Literary Award in the category of "Young Adult Poetry.")
DeMoir Books & Things first opened in 2021 in the Cloverleaf Shopping Center at Summer and White Station, a location that was convenient for DeMoir's students but not particularly favorable for foot traffic (especially after Pancho's Mexican restaurant closed). The store closed for about a year until DeMoir was able to move to South Main, thanks to the Downtown Memphis Commission's seven-year-old "Open on Main" program, which provides financial incentives to pair emerging entrepreneurs with vacant storefronts. (DeMoir, for example, gets free rent through the end of the year.)
"We pride ourselves on being an intimate yet powerful space," said DeMoir, who plans to make the store a gathering place as well as a retailer by hosting readings, signings, film screenings and other events.
DeMoir Books & Things is open from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. For more information or to order books, visit demoir-books.square.site.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: DeMoir Books & Things opens new Downtown Memphis store: A look inside
