Author Wiley Cash and his wife, photographer Mallory Cash, plan to open Floodplain Books, featuring new books, local-branded merchandise, and literature-related items, in downtown Wilmington, N.C. Wilmington Biz reported that the new bookshop, at 23 N. Front St., is expected to open by late summer or early fall next year, and "will offer something Wilmington currently doesn't have: a place to host major touring authors."
Cash said that while the Port City already has multiple independent bookstores they admire, "we saw an opportunity for us to get in, because there are so many writers and readers living in Wilmington. It's such a literary town, but a lot of writers don't come here on a book tour."
His books include the novels A Land More Kind Than Home, This Dark Road to Mercy, The Last Ballad, and When Ghosts Come Home. Cash also teaches at the University of North Carolina-Asheville.
After deciding to open the shop, the Cashes contacted owners of other indies in town, who responded that "the more book culture there is in town, the better we're all gonna do," Wiley Cash noted.
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| Wiley and Mallory Cash | |
"All of these bookstores do something a little different. I think we're all going to be able to work together and refer to each other," Mallory Cash added.
The building dates back to around the 1840s, and the front of the structure will be brought forward to its original footprint on the street, according to Wiley Cash, who added that the bookstore will have access to the building's third-floor, 3,000-square-foot event venue, which can hold 300 people.
The store's relationship with customers will be key. "If you come to Floodplain, we and our employees are gonna know about the books on our shelf. We're gonna be able to talk about them," Wiley Cash said. "We're gonna be able to open a dialogue with you about what do you like, what have you read?"
He noted that independent bookstores deserve a lot of credit for his own book sales: "If my book had been launched into the Amazon refuse pile, nobody would have read my books. It was because independent booksellers and independent books sales reps made a conscious decision to put my books in the hands of readers."
The Cashes will get off to an early start in their endeavor by hosting a series of online literary seminars this winter featuring writers John Grisham, Ann Patchett, Imani Perry, and more. "Each session will be recorded and shared for registrants who can't attend in real time. Every cent directly supports our journey in opening Floodplain Books," they noted.