A wide world awaits at South Main Book Co.

​After a career that took her all over the globe, Alissa Redmond picked Salisbury as the place to raise a family. And she brought with her all the excitement of world travel, to surround herself with books of all kinds, characters that spring to life, and writers wanting to be heard.

So she bought South Main Book Co. and on Facebook, and loves it and her place in a community filled with arts and creativity. Her plans are big, but her store is friendly and cozy, just as it should be.

“The bookstore for me is so many different things, not just a retail space, not just my livelihood. For a long time, I was working in a bureaucracy and feeling very stifled, but occasionally very rewarded. I never thought I could find something that could fulfill me in any way that was comparable.”

After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and Duke University, she worked for the US Foreign Service in India, Afghanistan, Washington DC, Hong Kong, and Bolivia.

With daughters Tinyan and Margaret, she realized she needed a different life.

When she looked at downtown Salisbury, she knew a bookstore would be successful because of all the theatres and museums. “I’m really lucky to have great partnerships with the arts scene, with the library.”

Promoting local authors

During Piedmont Players’ production of “Little Women,” she had a table at the Norvell with a variety of books. “The cast wanted copies for everyone to sign backstage. If there’s a way books can add to the quality of an event anywhere, we’re the place to start that conversation.”

Just this season, South Main has had two successful local author events, featuring Rowan authors like Margaret Basinger, Dicy McCullough, Charles Newsome, Kathy Vestal, and more. She tries to have a local author showcase a couple times a year because “so many people in the community are writing and they want an outlet. It’s great to have a bigger-name draw. I want to build a network for writers in Rowan.”

Reaching out

South Main has a monthly Readers for Change meeting, which started in the summer. “It’s my idea of a book club without a book. I find it hard to get people together to discuss one book, but I can get folks together to talk about a topic, much more action based.”

Alissa hopes South Main Writers, a writers’ group, can start meeting again in spring or summer.

Covid stopped children’s story times in the store, but “We try to sponsor different events that happen in town related to children and building children’s literacy.” She works with some churches which donate money to libraries and works with the libraries to build diversity for students. Five elementary schools are involved so far.

“And I’m always filling Little Free Libraries, or donating to places like Terri Hess Child Advocacy Center.”

​A space for all

One project she has wanted to tackle since she bought the store is renovating the basement. During the holidays, a Dewey’s Bakery Pop-Up store is using the area, but Alissa wants to have an event space. She wants to host spoken word performances, poetry slams, musical events, and more.

“I want to keep people here after hours. I always wanted our store to have extended hours like we have now for the holidays, with different events going on. I want to be a pillar for opening later. South Main Book Co. is open 7 days a week now. “Sunday has been remarkable. It’s worth staying open as long as people are understanding of your hours and that you’re committed to them.”

Murals tell stories on her walls, thanks to a partnership with Irisol Gonzalez of Charlotte https://www.irisolgonzalez.com, who was in town working on a project for Novant Health.

“It was so much fun to sit here and watch her work. I told her about a couple books I wanted to use, then she’d sketch, and we’d discuss the non-fiction side.” Alissa wanted a Little Free Library on the wall, too. “It came together organically and was super fun. … Hopefully that won’t be our last project.”

Taking it on the road

Alissa’s newest idea is a tiny bookmobile, a Japanese mini truck “so we can easily haul books across Rowan County. We will use the truck to fill Little Free Libraries, host story hours in book deserts, and foster spontaneous literacy promotion where our community resides. We want to bring books to where people congregate — parks, parades, and community centers.

“The bookstore has brought so many people into my life and my girls’ lives that we never would have known otherwise. I never would have been able to grow my family in my old lifestyle. I was always moving. I wanted to focus on growing into a healthy family. And I can’t see myself growing tired of being here. People come in and look around, especially high school girls and kids who haven’t gotten out and seen the world.

“I feel like I’ve been able to have the conversation to open up the world for them. I grew up in a small town in North Carolina as well and think if I had not had pivotal conversations with people about what the world consists of and if I hadn’t been able to get out and experience, I would have led a very different life.

“I can help people learn there is so much more to the world. You can be small town and read so many different books. There’s so much that can be experienced from books in the store and so much the world can offer you.”

While you visit, be sure to say hello to shop dog, Hazelnut, and give her a nice scratch.

Other arts events

“Elf the Musical Jr.” Dec. 15, 7:30 pm; Dec 17, 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 pm, North Rowan High School, 300 N. Whitehead Ave, Spencer. Tickets are $5 and are available at the door.  For more information on the show, call Abigail Skibsted at 704-636-4420 extension 376108 or email her at SkibstedAC@rss.k12.nc.us

Up Next