M Judson Booksellers
One day as dusk was setting - I was driving through downtown Greenville heading back to my humble abode when I got lost and found myself driving past M Judson bookstore.
As I stared in awe while whispering “books…” to myself; I nearly hit a seemingly nice couple with my KIA Soul & decided it might just be best to soak in the mystery and beauty of this historic landmark on foot.
Although I could have walked into town on the particularly cold & ominous early evening that I decided to visit; I had just finished a long hike at Paris Mountain, and was feeling pretty lazy; so decided to drive.
Immediately I found a place to park; which actually turned out to be a CVS drive through and *not* a parking garage.
Note; a lot of the public parking lots listed on Google maps & street spots fill up pretty quickly on weekend evenings, also a lot of the pay lots only take cash. However; I did find a little gem of a parking lot by a super cool historic Church where the super nice attendant let me pay with cash app.
You should park there, too.
So the first thing I noticed about M Judson (besides the grandeur of the architecture) is that it smells really good inside; like a really expensive perfume mined from rare roses that only bloom on a blood moon in the south of France.
Immediately I headed straight to the cafe area so I could get a peruse the book store on the chilly winters evening with a hot tea in hand.
Not only does M Judson have a variety of super yum looking drinks, they also have pastries!
I ordered a Color Purple w/Oat Milk and a Spicy Ginger Molasses Vegan Cookie that I stuffed into my handbag to save for later.
The Color Purple was super delish (not super sugary) - & the perfect early evening delight. I’m not sure if it was actually purple or not; I didn’t look.
Keep in mind; M Judson also has wine and beer & they’re open until 10pm, so it would be a super cool spot for a date night.
Speaking of dates; - check out the “blind date with a book” section in the back.
So much mystery!
The back of the store is most definitely low-key and and a writers paradise with *gorgeous* notebooks imported from France, super super cute nostalgic feel notepads & colored pens sold individually.
So besides books and writing supplies, M Judson also had tons of other cute stuff such as local bath bombs, local candles, and these (adorable) key chains.
This historic book store is hands down the perfect place to pick up gifts.
In the bath bomb section I came across a book “Strange Planet” and decided to take a photo and video - both the recording and photo captured and saved upside down. (I first noticed something was off when I began filming and the timer numbers were upside down and backwards). Very paranormal and appropriate.
So was it aliens communicating with me through my iPhone 11, or was it the ghost of a former judge that is said to haunt this historic courthouse turned bookshop? (Haunted history credit of hauntedrooms.com.)
Lastly, I checked out the book section because I really wanted a new book to cozy up with on a brisk Sunday afternoon with. So there’s no specific “horror” section, which makes shopping at M Judson even more fun, because it feel like a treasure hunt (but a with a lot less pressure and no evil villains).
I found quite a few horror, mystery, and adventure novels that I planned on purchasing - but then stumbled across Davis Sedaris’ new book, read a couple pages & knew I had found my gem for to take home.
I left the book store with my brand new copy of “A Carnival of Snackery”, a ‘Seaberry & Rose Clay’ bath bomb, and purple pen (oh and the cookie that was stuffed in my handbag).
I also got a free bookmark.
Needless to say; I’ll definitely be back for more books, snacks, and bath bombs & (for sure) a journal from Paris once I fill up the journal I’m currently on.
As I headed out to the front entrance, I noticed how truly beautiful their lobby is and stopped to bask for a few minutes.
When I made my way back outside and down the grand staircase a flock of black birds swarmed around the top of the old ‘Chamber of Commerce’ building that faces the bookshop, and the large lamps that frame the front of M Judson switched on right as I turned back around to take another picture of the front of the shop.
It was truly magical yet creepy, and totally made my night.
PS; the cookie I had later after dinner… it was omg delish; simultaneously crunchy and chewy with the *perfect* ginger taste paired with just the right amount of molasses & topped with chewy bits of fresh ginger.
Buy my book 'The Crystal Inn ~ A Southern Haunting' (click this link to go to Amazon page)!
