Sasee Gets Personal with Wendy Meletes & Olivia Meletes-Morris: Litchfield Books

Q: When did y’all take over ownership of Litchfield Books?
Olivia: We have owned Litchfield Books for almost two years now. I managed the bookstore for the previous owner for five years and just before the pandemic, the owner asked if my mom and I were interested in buying the bookstore. The previous owner did not want to sell the bookstore to just anyone. It mattered a lot to her that the store would remain somewhat similar to what it had been for over 30 years.

Q: What are your roles as co-owners?
Wendy: We co-own the store as well as the exclusive author event business together. I work with all facets of the financial end of the corporation, merchandising, event venues, and customer service. I also order the children’s books as well as the regional books. Olivia does an amazing job of ordering the adult books and working very closely with all of the publishers we buy our books from. She also books all of the New York Times best-selling authors for our author events and hand-sells books to our amazing customers in this area.

Q: Why do you believe Litchfield Books is an important shop to have here?
Olivia: My mom and I are grateful for the opportunity to serve the Pawleys Island community. Independent bookstores are rare nowadays as most of our customers tout, and that makes us feel good that we serve an important purpose. Our customers like the feel of a book, the warm feeling they get when they are in our store, and almost all of them stay – they never want us to leave!

Q: What are your favorite types of genres to read?
Wendy: Non-fiction books are my go-to when the box of advanced readers arrives at our doorstep. As a veteran educator of 30 years, my science background lures me into finding out as much as I can about the world we live in.
Olivia: I love fiction. I am especially drawn to historical fiction because I just love the history element of it. I know it’s fiction, but it’s based upon fact. Some of my favorite books are about true women in history whose voice was never quite heard. I love to learn about different eras and time periods.

Q: Do you have a special place or time of day you enjoy reading?
Wendy: Well, being the owners of the store, we are here all day, every day, 7 days a week, so finding time to read is not a simple task. Whenever we do get a chance though, Olivia likes to stay up late and enjoy a good book as she relaxes in a bubble bath. Meanwhile, I prefer to get up early in the morning to tend to the beagles and enjoy some quiet reading time with a nice cup of coffee.

Q: Do you have any book recommendations?
Olivia: We have a staff favorites table we update regularly with staff-selected picks. We love when customers come into the store and ask us what we are reading; it is such a joy to recommend a good book! A few of our current favorites are Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt, Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John Mandel, and The Marriage Portrait, by Maggie O’Farrell.

Q: Do you have any other creative outlets besides reading?
Wendy: I am currently working on my Ph.D. in literacy, so researching and writing my dissertation takes up most of my free time. Olivia has an English degree, so loves to write as well. She also enjoys drawing, painting, and crafting. Olivia and her husband, Justin, recently bought a new house and it’s a bit of a fixer-upper, so that is consuming a lot of her time! We both enjoy playing with our beagles as well as spending time at the beach when we are not working.

Litchfield Books
843-237-8138 • Fresh Market Commons • 11421 Ocean Hwy Unit D • Pawleys Island, SC 29585 • www.litchfieldbooks.com