As Polly Buxton sat across from her now-husband Julian Buxton on a date back in 2011, the conversation drifted toward their careers and ambitions. Polly shared a dream nurtured since childhood: to own a bookstore in the heart of downtown Charleston.
Although the dream didn’t seem feasible at the time, Julian loved the way her eyes lit up when she talked about it. They married one year after that night. At the time, Polly was working at an art gallery and had put her dreams of owning a bookstore on hold.
“I kept playing with the idea of opening the bookstore,” she recalled in a recent interview in her comfortable Mount Pleasant home. “And I actually looked at partnering with some people but it would have been a bad time to open up a store.”
At the same time, Julian was putting energy into his walking tour company, Tour Charleston LLC, through which he offers historical ghost tours. One day after seeing off a school group tour, Julian found himself standing in a downtown building with light pouring in.
It was a gift store in downtown Charleston, but the girl working inside told him it would be moving locations and focusing on apparel. That moment changed everything for the Buxtons. Julian called Polly to tell her he was standing in her bookstore.
Polly was nervous about starting a new business, but Julian was supportive and entrepreneurial-minded, she said. So, they decided to take a chance and founded Buxton Books. The store opened on April Fool’s Day in 2016 and has been a work in progress ever since.
“I was very hesitant but we did it,” Polly said. “It’s more work than I thought it would be. But it’s also a lot more rewarding than I thought it would be.”
Meaning behind it all
Today, Buxton Books is a few blocks away in a historic white building at 160 King St.
Inside, people will find built-in black bookshelves filled with classics, new releases, Charleston specials, children’s books and Polly’s recommendations. (It’s also one of the few places you can still get Charleston City Paper’s 350 Facts About Charleston book).
The bookstore has historic charm with clean aesthetics, bright colors and lots of natural light. Similar to her home in Mount Pleasant, Polly decorates and changes the bookstore as she goes.
“I feel like everything in the bookstore and our house just evolves,” Polly said. “I’m always collecting and gathering things that have meaning and a story behind them.”
While the Buxtons’ home exterior doesn’t share the rich history of the shop, the inside of the home is filled with cherished mementos, classic reads and an original typewriter. She even has built-in wooden bookshelves throughout the first floor of her home to store books and knick-knacks.
For example, sitting on the bookshelf behind Polly’s couch in the living room is a ceramic tiger. One day, she was called over to the house of editor Harriet Popham McDougal Rigney and best-selling author Robert Jordan. There, Rigney gifted Polly with a ceramic tiger for the bookstore. The significance is that the logo for Buxton Books is a tiger. (The tiger is temporarily at her home but will be back on the shelves of the bookstore soon.)
Similar to Polly’s ongoing and evolving interior style, the idea to have a tiger for the logo wasn’t specifically planned out. The idea stemmed from Julian’s childhood nickname, Tiger. Everyone Julian grew up with or went to college with still calls him Tiger today.
Before opening the bookstore, they had started a small publishing company. For that business, they had local artist Tate Nation draw the Tiger. Then, Julian’s brother designed the logo. When the bookstore opened, Polly decided to keep the logo and design the same.
“If I had known I was going to be doing this for 25 to 30 years, I might have put some more thought into it,” Polly said. “I just did it in the moment but now I love the tiger.”
Looking ahead
The Buxton Books store partners with Charleston Library Society. Polly said thanks to a 15-year lease, the bookstore plans to be in that location for a long time. Since the society is an established nonprofit, it provides extra security for the bookstore.
“They’re one of the oldest cultural institutions in the South and our relationship with them gives us a sense of stability that a lot of independent bookstores and small businesses don’t have,” Polly said.
More events with authors
Moving forward, Polly said she wants to keep putting a lot of her energy into author events. She loves the relationships, community and authenticity created by their visits to the bookstore. She likes to hold a mix of free events with local authors and paid events with big-name authors to help the publishing industry.
“The real focus of what we do is the ecosystem of publishing and also building community,” Polly said. “People get to experience meeting the author, and just being in the same room with an author as they talk about their book is a completely unique thing.”
Similar to what happens at her house, Polly expects to make changes to the bookstore over the next few months. Her design choices are made in the moment which is why the paintings in her house are propped up instead of hanging on the walls, she said. Nothing feels permanent to her and that’s part of the fun.
“I feel like the bookstore is the same as my house in a lot of ways,” Polly said. “I always think that the bookstore could be decorated better and I want it to be more functional.”
Right now, Polly has plans to add more lighting and review their current merchandise in the bookstore. She said she’s excited to see how things develop and change with time.
“What I like about the bookstore is that it just evolves,” she said. “It wasn’t really planned, which is also how I live. I just kind of collect, move and change things as I go.”
The Lowdown
Education: Ashley Hall for high school; College of Charleston
and American University of Paris.
Books on bedside table: I am reading ahead for the 2024 Charleston Literary Festival:
Long Island by Colim Toibin and Nikki Giovani’s poetry.
Favorite novel: I don’t think I can choose just one! Some novels I love to reread: Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse, Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping, Toni Morrison’s Beloved and the book that made me first fall in love with reading: Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time.
Favorite food to eat: A summertime tomato sandwich.
Favorite food to cook: Breakfast.
Favorite cocktail or beverage: In the summertime, a cold rose.
Five foods you always need in your refrigerator: Leeks, eggs, cheese, butter, sparkling water.
Three people (alive or dead) you’d like to dine with: Maya Angelou and my two grandmothers, Katharine DuPre and Polly Walton.
Describe your best day in 50 words or less: As much as I love being out and about, I really need and love a quiet day at home with nowhere to go and nothing to do but read and daydream.
Hobbies: I don’t have much time for hobbies these days, but I hope to travel more; there are so many places I hope to visit!
Pet peeve: Vocal uninformed opinions.
Philosophy: From my grandmother: “You are right where you’re supposed to be.” Be present.
Your advice for better living: Slow down and live with intention. Enjoy and trust the process.
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