The Bookstore Time Forgot

State route 155 carries its stream of cars past storefronts that might be anywhere. It circles Nashville for 35 miles, skirting the old Tennessee State Prison before surrendering its name to White Bridge Road. At 101 sits a repurposed mid-century mattress outlet. A sign above the street-facing windows reads in green letters against a white background: BOOKS. Between a fortune teller and bubble tea (that invasive species) is Tennessee’s longest-running bookshop, Elder’s Bookstore. A paper notice taped to the entry door requires pocket machines to be muzzled.