A Peek into Ladybird Books, Charleston’s Newest Bookstore

At the entrance of Charleston’s Ladybird Books, gilded handles in the shape of a playful ladybug-like character with a wide-brimmed hat and skirt with pleats of pages welcome readers into an equally artful space. Stepping inside from the bustle of King Street, you’ll find a peaceful sanctuary built for thoughtful browsing. Sunlight comes through massive curved glass windows and glints off the preserved terrazzo floors. Along the bookshelves, labeled categories highlight both contemporary and classic writers in categories like “What the South Holds.” The beautiful curiosities tucked everywhere include lively litho-printed paper goods from Cambridge Imprint, colorful painted Park Pardon masks, and Tabby Booth’s ink prints of woodland animals.

For Ladybird owner Summer Anderson, reading is a longtime love: Her family owns Books-A-Million, a company that started in Florence, Alabama. For fifteen years, she’s shared curated reads and book reviews on her popular site Summer Says. But she’s long dreamed about creating her own space to build community in person.“I founded the store to be more than just a place to shop for books,” she says. “It’s also meant to be a space for connection.”

The Charleston design agency SDCO Partners helped revitalize the 1880s storefront, sourcing and styling furniture, airy paper light fixtures, and signage and curating playlists around the time of day. For SDCO’s team of cofounder Amy Pastre, cofounder and creative director Courtney Rowson, and senior designer Hampton Williams, dreaming up what Ladybird would look like meant tapping into the creativity and spirit of Charleston. “It is a rare joy for a creative studio to carry out all stages of the creative process and brand integration,” Rowson says. “Every inch of the space was thoughtfully considered to reflect Summer’s vision: a place deeply rooted in the South while reaching for the world.”

Ladybird is the latest addition to Charleston’s cast of beloved bookshops, moving into downtown’s King Street shopping district not far from Buxton Books, Blue Bicycle Books, and Sweeter Than Fiction. The four shops—all tucked within a mile of one another—make for a delightful hop and skip through what we’re dubbing the Charleston Literary District. “I think every bookstore, no matter its size, has something unique to offer,” Anderson says. “We’re excited to share our point of view.”

The preserved white marble facade and flecked terrazzo floors nod to the shop’s past lives at 299 King Street. In the 1880s, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows gathered upstairs and rented out the ground floor to China Hall, an emporium filled with imported china, glass, and earthenware goods. 

“We were determined to open before Christmas,” Anderson says. “We had an incredible team. From the construction crew to SDCO, Ladybird’s core of incredible women, and a village of people in between—we somehow pulled it off. It was no small feat, but my God, did we have fun!”

“‘Ladybird’ is a term of endearment I use for all the females in my life, from my friends to my daughters,” Anderson says. The name for the shop came easily, and SDCO looked to both modern and historical inspiration, studying publishing imprints that Rowson says “struck the perfect balance between simplicity and cleverness.” The final character has a “pleated book-page skirt and a distinctive hat [that nods] to Summer’s signature style,” Rowson says. The brass handles, crafted by Benjamin Paul Studio, bring a warm hue to the shop’s silvery front.

“We had an existing trapdoor with nothing of importance underneath, so we started brainstorming literary sayings that could be painted by Sarah Jeffers, an incredible local talent who added whimsical touches around the store. ‘Down the rabbit hole’ felt fitting,” Anderson says. “I find myself down one rabbit hole or another on the regular!”

Anderson specially curated two shelves: a “How to Be a Human” section, with “emphasis on living with empathy, curiosity, and wonder,” and “What the South Holds,” which includes Southern literature and cookbooks that share community stories. “I like to think the books all start talking to one another after we lock up for the night,” she says.

Plush seating throughout the store offers a perch to sit down with a good book. Paper goods include patterned wrapping paper, crowns, notebooks, and cards from the English company Cambridge Imprint. “After many years of reading and consulting for bookstores,” Anderson says, “I was excited to have a space where I could connect with others over our shared love of stories and pull together some fun paper products, magazines, and other curiosities.”