By Reece McGowan

Husband-and-wife team Drew and Emily Dawson have created a new sanctuary for book lovers and coffee enthusiasts. Introducing Bird’s Bookstore, Dallas’ newest hybrid bookstore, mixing a library and coffee shop together. The space provides dark tones, a warped library wall, and the strong smell of coffee to create the perfect oasis. The minute you step in, you truly feel like you are walking into a storybook.

I was able to connect with Drew and Emily to learn more about the history behind the name, their design philosophy, and how they’re creating a new hub for the city.

RM: What inspired the name Bird’s Bookstore?

DD: My mom has called me Bird since I was a baby, saying I “ate like a bird.” She’s the only one who has ever called me Bird, so it’s a little bit of a shock when people call me Bird in the store. I’m getting used to it! It being a nickname and the alliteration together made it an easy choice for the name.

RM: How did you approach mixing a coffee shop and a bookstore cohesively?

DD: Well the coffee shop bit was secondary to the bookstore, to tell you the truth. I had toyed with the idea of adding the coffee element for a few weeks before we fully decided to go for it. Now one doesn’t really work without the other in my eyes. We put the coffee shop a little further back in the store to let people discover it as they moved through the space. To each their own, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of the idea of having the coffee shop be in the front of the store. I thought it would create a bit of a log jam, when we want people to walk in and know that books are our main focus. Now when you walk in and see books, then smell coffee, to me that’s the ideal 1-2 punch.

RM: What was the inspiration for the library ladder wall?

DD: The rotunda was the brainchild of Mary and Mary over at Maison. We said we wanted a library ladder somewhere in the store and they went above and beyond with it. Geniuses, those two.

RM: What atmosphere did you hope to create when people walked into the store?

ED: Drew and I wanted to create a space that felt totally fresh to Dallas. A place that made you feel transported when you walked in. A cozy place that feels like a home away from home was a constant through line as we were designing it. We took inspiration from stores we love in a handful of different cities, and one of my favorite things has been hearing the different places the store reminds people of.

RM: How do you want Bird’s Bookstore to stand out against other coffee shops in Dallas?

ED: Being that the coffee shop is complementary to the bookstore, I wanted to create a very holistic cafe experience, keeping it simple and streamlined with straightforward coffee drinks and a range of tea offerings. We aren’t a novelty coffee shop and don’t have the bandwidth to offer 20 different drink options. We have amazing baristas and use high-quality ingredients from mostly local partners to offer the best-tasting coffee and matcha.

Following the opening of Bird’s Bookstore, my TikTok For You page quickly filled with videos showing off the store’s iconic library ladder wall.With its gentle charm, thoughtful design, and welcoming atmosphere, Bird’s Bookstore is already positioned to become a true Dallas staple. It;s the kind of place where you silence your phone, disappear into a book, and let the hours slip by. In the middle of a busy city, Bird’s offers a rare pocket of magic and much-needed escapism, truly transporting you into a fantasy-like experience.