The Wild Detectives is an independent bookstore with two spaces in Dallas’s Bishop Arts District. Stories and Ideas are part of the same project, with different shelves to explore.
Stories, at 314 W 8th St, is home to fiction, poetry and literature in Spanish.
Ideas, at 321 N Zang Blvd, focuses on history, philosophy, science, memoir, culture and the arts.
Both have a bar and host readings, conversations, music and other cultural events. You’re welcome to browse, have a drink or join an event at either location.
Founded in 2014, The Wild Detectives began with a simple idea: a bookstore with a bar, where books could lead to conversations. Our name comes from Roberto Bolaño’s novel Los Detectives Salvajes (The Savage Detectives).
In 2016, we were invited to give a TEDx talk at the University of Texas at Arlington, where we explained why we believe a bar belongs in a bookstore: it gives people a reason to stay, meet and talk.
Today, the project is shaped by the community around it. Readers, writers, musicians, neighbors and friends bring ideas and help create our activities. We’re always open to collaboration, and much of what happens here begins with someone suggesting something they’d like to share.
