Rentz: Nevermore quoth the bookseller

Last month, while the Craftseller was having a closing sale after thirty-one years of business, and African Fashion Week was draping the town in batiks, Lorrie and Dave Anderson were moving a few thousand books.

Their new shop -- Nevermore Books -- opened Sept. 1. Like its ominous yet bountiful name, the shop is a compound of sophistication and edginess curated to be an experience of the literary and artistic. It's also located in the cellar of the 1907 Wallace House at the bridge on Bay Street in downtown Beaufort.

"We're trying to achieve a treasure hunt," Dave Anderson said.

They chose well in opening their store in the brick classic revival built after the Great Fire. The upper floors are occupied by a law firm, and the iron fence out front is from the early 1800s. Nevermore's sidewalk-level entrance is on the Carteret Street side, hard to miss with its gleaming white doorway, gingerbread trim, and a raven perched on the sign.

"Nevermore" is more of a reference to the smart bird than to Poe. To name the shop-- a task equivalent to writing a one word novel-- they tested ideas on friends.

"We wanted something not too cute, not too obscure," Lorrie Anderson said. "John Marshall, who owns the Old Bull Tavern, came up with it when he visited the space. Bloody Marys were involved. People have been popping in; can't keep the nose prints off the door."

Open the door and the treasure hunts begins with a few steps down into the coolness of the historic foundation.

It's a small space with exposed brick walls, a big wooden fireplace and nooks and passages -- a chance to explore Beaufort's history and architecture.

The August afternoon I stopped by, the sunlight pierced the small head-level windows, so the mylar-wrapped books gleamed on the shelves and the dusky colors of antique tables and lamps and overstuffed chairs conveyed a well-kept Victorian library. At first glance, the only spots of modernity are the local black and white photography.

The laid-back splendor of the small shop is an important addition to Beaufort's literary scene-- instead of hype the Andersons offer good words and the right light to read-- and write-- by. They have no plans for book signings, but instead their advanced taste in text and images will lead the way. A book club is already meeting there, and the place is ripe for conversation and salons.

"It's the kind of bookstore that I want to go into," Lorrie Anderson said. "I love being surrounded by books. As a child," in Camden, South Carolina, "I spent a lot of time at the library. The children's section was in the basement there, too."

She recently retired from ad sales at this paper. She has just finished reading Serena by Ron Rash, a South Carolina author, and is reaching for The Cove next. She has a penchant for historic fiction, including Westerns.

Dave Anderson has been collecting books since he was a child in Nebraska, and dealing in them since 2000. They've been planning this shop for years-- and it shows in the selection and the dècor (mainly by Dave, edited by Lorrie) and the vinyl record section.

"The vinyl is geared to Jazz, all 33 LPs," he said.

Part of his curatorship is keeping the selection fresh, which will include books on display for one day only and by appointment. He's chosen to arrange the books alphabetical by author across genres.

"I have collectibles, and signed first editions. Keep them nice and they're a joy forever," he said.

There's lots of fiction, "some history, a smattering of sci-fi, like Will Self and Harlan Ellison, lots of British and miscategorized authors," he continued.

And plenty of art books--a play by Picasso, a history of Japanese photography, a pop up book of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, titles from fine art presses.

"Lots of illustrators," Dave Anderson said, "Edward Gorey, Robert Crumb, Gustave Dore, Rockwell Kent, and Arthur Rackham."

If these artists could visit Beaufort, they would likely end up soothing their sunburns in the cool depths of Nevermore Books.

Lisa Annelouise Rentz lives in Beaufort.

This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 7:43 PM with the headline "Rentz: Nevermore quoth the bookseller."