Bird’s Bookstore within the bustling Preston Royal Shopping Center is a newly beloved Dallas gem where stories, community, and curiosity collide. More than a place to buy books, it’s a welcoming perch for readers who love smart recommendations, lively author events, and discovering the uncommon. Independent, warm, and rooted in the neighborhood, Bird’s champions thoughtful finds always delivered with the feeling that a good friend picked it just for you.
PATRON joins founders Emily and Drew Dawson on their nostalgic reimagining of a modern bookstore here:
Patron (P): Bird’s Bookstore interior evokes the intimacy of a well-loved library with warm wood, nooks, and spaces that invite slow reading. Did you think about visual storytelling when shaping the bookstore’s physical space?
Emily and Drew Dawson: We had a clear vision on the feeling we wanted the space to evoke. A cozy home away from home. A little jewel box that surprises as you enter. A place to visit where you can be surrounded by warm textures and colors, and be inspired by beautiful, well-made objects.
P: Why did you choose MMaison Interiors (Mary Bryan and Mary Lucille Quick) to realize the vision for the shop? Are there specific movements that inspired the space’s visual vocabulary?
Emily Dawson (ED): They are the only designers we met with! I was introduced to them by my friend’s sister. She just had a feeling we would jive. I had seen a few of their projects already and actually had one specific living room they designed saved. The decision was made promptly during our first meeting. We have precisely the same taste, but the difference is they actually know how to bring it to life. It was Mmaison or nothing!
P: Emily, you curate art books, design titles, and magazines alongside other objects like ceramics by local artists like Marcello Andres. How do you balance functional design with artistic resonance in those choices?
ED: You honestly said it perfectly. Functional design with artistic resonance is exactly what I look for when searching for new additions to our shelves. I want customers to discover a new brand or small, independent designer when they shop with us. I’m extremely passionate about sourcing the unique, the lesser known, and the well-made. I want people to know they can come to us for inspiration and find the least expected. I try to not have much overlap with other stores in Dallas and have set quite a high bar for myself!
P: Drew, as a bibliophile, what genres are you drawn to? What criteria does a book have to meet to earn a spot on your shop list? And will you please share your current top five list?
Drew Dawson (DD): I try to read a little of everything, but I find myself mostly drawn to classics, fantasy, and regular old literary fiction. I’d like to say I have a set in stone top five, but it feels like I really have a top three with some others that rotate depending on my mood. My favorite book of all time is Anna Karenina by Tolstoy. To me it’s a masterpiece, and one of the few books I’ll even consider reading again. So that’s a clear and uncontested #1.
- Anna Karenina by Tolstoy
- Stoner by John Williams—this one came with a lot of hype and lived up to it.
- 2666 by Roberto Bolaño—tread lightly here, not easy on the soul.
- 11/22/63 by Stephen King
- Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson—one of his lesser knowns, but it was a hit for me.
P: The layout, from a wooden rotunda with ladders to intimate reading corners and a children’s area, creates dynamic visual movement. Was that spatial choreography intentional, and if so, how did you approach it?
ED: This is Mary’s genius. We explained the visual look we wanted, talked through the few things the space had to have, and they came back with a plan that Drew and I could have never, and I mean never, concepted. The rotunda blew us away.
P: How does the presence of tactile, handcrafted pieces enrich the visual and sensory experience of perusing store?
ED: I think it just all adds to the home-away-from-home environment that we worked so hard to create. When you see real pieces of furniture–many that are vintage– yummy textured fabrics, rugs and sconces, the smell of coffee brewing, these are all things you find in home that you may not expect to find in a retail space. It makes our customers feel comfortable and at ease.
P: Tell us about the collaboration with local artists in displays, pop-ups, exhibits, or installations — and how do those collaborations inform the bookstore’s role as a cultural gathering place?
ED: Art and design are a huge part of my life. It’s one of my main passions and I’m looking forward to sharing that love with the community. I’ve already leaned on many of my friends who are in creative fields to brainstorm ways we can collaborate, using Bird’s as a meeting ground. Something that I think sets us apart is that while we will have plenty of book focused events–signings and book talks–we will also host events that indulge the creative community in Dallas. Conversations about photography, vintage art pop-ups, etc.
P: You also have a selection of cards, and paper goods like crowns. What’s your secret to keeping things fresh and original.
ED: We get the majority of cards from the beloved Cambridge Imprint, a UK-based patternmaker and stationer. I adore how whimsical and silly many of their designs are. They make it easy to have fresh products; we have over 100 SKUs from their line! We also carry a selection of Happy Menocal stationery and party crowns. This was a pipe-dream vendor for me. I have adored Happy’s designs for years. It was truly a dream come true to be able to stock her work on our shelves. She doesn’t do a lot of wholesale, so we are very proud to be her only Texas stockist!
P: Have you played with the Bird motif visually in the store and what creative meaning does it hold for you?
ED: We have lots of special bird-related mementos scattered around the store that I’ve gathered or have been given from friends. Drew and I have now become synonymous with the animal. Pieces of pottery, either in the shape of a bird or with a bird motif painted on, vintage bird books, a ceramic dish that looks like a robin’s egg. I try to not wade too far into the bird theme, but once you start looking, there is so much bird-related stuff out there!
P: As Bird’s grows and evolves, do you foresee incorporating rotating art, local-artist showcases, or curated exhibitions that intersect with literature?
ED: Yes! We are currently planning some events that do just that. A goal of mine is to collaborate with the Dallas Art Fair in some way. Speaking it into existence!
P: Do you have daily or seasonal rituals around how you arrange and refresh visual displays whether books, objects, or ceramics?
ED: Ahhh… if you give a mouse a cookie! I could absolutely be there all day every day remerchandising the shelves, but we had our daughter in October, and I quickly learned that time management is imperative. I work with a visual merchandiser every few weeks to help me breathe new life into our shelves. She’s faster and more creative than I will ever be–hi Kim! There’s a magic she possesses in making the same products feel completely new by simply rearranging and restyling.
P: Has the coffeeshop and patio become a neighborhood gathering space?
ED: It truly has. On any given day, you’ll find people crocheting, high school students studying, and friends visiting on the couch for literal hours. We also have the most comfortable, vintage Percival Lafer deep leather chair in the back of the store that people reluctantly give up once they plop down.
P: What visual elements do you believe matter most in shaping the emotional memory someone carries with them after leaving Bird’s?
ED: We often see customers grab their phone to snap a photo of the incredible Picasso-esque pillar in the center of the rotunda. I think that section of the store really sticks with people. Also the 1970s tiled Erik Gronborg table in the cafe. It’s the best thing in the store bar none. Many people have asked if they can buy it.
P: Lastly, what books or shop favorites do you recommend as Valentine’s Day gifts, and how do you help customers find something meaningful?
ED: I truly think we have something for anyone on your list. We just started carrying Jan Barboglio and she has so many beautiful heart-shaped keepsakes. Anything from Perfumer H would make an enviable Valentine’s Day gift. A photo in a Match pewter frame or a set of Gansai Tambi Japanese watercolors for the artist. To name a few.