I was a farmer in upstate South Carolina when this story starts, and that always surprises people. I guess I don’t look like a farmer. I was though, and I loved it! I raised fancy chickens and adorable sheep. I wrote children’s books. I longed to open a bookstore. God knew the longings of my heart and was already dreaming big dreams for me. I had no idea how big.

We took a trip to Black Mountain, North Carolina in August 2017, one of our favorite places on earth and one my husband Cole grew up going to every year. While walking around town with our kids, we stumbled on a retail space for rent. The perfect space for a bookstore. I looked at Cole and said, “Want to move up here and open a bookstore?” Our kids, 17 and 13 at the time, laughed. But he didn’t. He actually said, “The only place I’d live besides the farm is Black Mountain.” Our kids stopped laughing.

We went home, sold our animals and our tractor, put the farm on the market, leased the space, moved to Black Mountain and the rest is Sassafras history. We opened Sassafras on Sutton in February 2018. A bookstore with a coffee bar and a definite Narnia vibe. It was magic. And I loved every minute of it.

On the first weekend of December 2018, the roof of the building partially collapsed under 20+ inches of snow. We only rented the lower level so our space wasn’t affected by the collapse, but the building was in jeopardy of collapsing. Those built in 1876 sometimes do apparently! We couldn’t even go in and get our merchandise to open elsewhere. Not safe and very heartbreaking. Sassafras ended up being closed for four months. We missed our whole first holiday season. But we kept our staff employed and kept the faith. I told my staff, “God didn’t bring me to Black Mountain and give me this bookstore to let it be snatched away from me now.” He didn’t. That potential roof collapse ended up being a blessing.

The tenants above us never came back. Our persnickety landlord drug his feet fixing everything, and they grew tired of waiting. And I saw an opportunity. We talked him into selling us the building, closed for two weeks while we added a gorgeous staircase to connect the two floors, and planned to open a toy store on the upper floor. I went to Market in January 2020 and bought ALL THE TOYS! Our plan was to open the toy floor in March 2020. But, no.

COVID. A 10-week lockdown. Another big hurdle to overcome. I went in every day with my husband during that lockdown and received all those toys and put the entire toy store together. We weren’t sure how long we would be closed, but as it turned out, when we were able to reopen at the beginning of May, we were completely ready. My first customers that day were three adorable children with baggies full of coins (they’d been saving all through the lockdown) ready and eager to shop for some toys. They did, and so did a lot of other people. Our old brick building filled with laughter and happy people, and we just kept moving along.

In June 2021, we bought a big, old building in Waynesville, North Carolina, another gorgeous mountain town about 40 minutes away. We opened our second store, Sassafras on Main, a bigger version of our beloved Sutton store (but no coffee) in October 2021. We fell in love with Waynesville and moved there. If I ever meet you in person, I can tell you the story of how God orchestrated the whole thing. It’s pretty wild!

In April 2023, we opened Minted Mercantile in Waynesville, just down Main Street a bit from Sassafras. Minted carries all the things I love that aren’t toys and books. We have handbags, jewelry, spa, stationery, kitchen, pantry, decorating, men’s merch, holiday. So many fun things. I had the best time putting Minted together. I still do!

August 2022 took us to Beaufort, SC for our nephew’s wedding. Can you fall in love twice? Well, we did and thought Beaufort would be the perfect place for a little getaway. We had family who lived there. There’s the quaintest downtown on the water with swings and coffee and spanish moss covered trees. Another story of God working behind the scenes. We bought our “getaway” house in May 2023, and I told every single person I WOULD NOT be opening a store there. I had zero intentions of opening a store there. But God. He keeps me very busy. The perfect building came up for sale, we bought it, and opened Sassafras on Carteret in April 2024. This store is the perfect combination of Minted and Sassafras. It’s so cute!

Four stores in two states. A lot of employees. A lot of merchandise. A lot of fun. But sometimes it’s just a lot. Let’s not even talk about Hurricane Helene. She swept through my beloved mountains and didn’t leave us unscathed. We survived. We always do.

A lot happened in a few short years. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s been so fun and still is! I’m still writing (as you probably know). I still love all my stores, and I’m lucky enough to spend part of my time in my beautiful mountains and part of my time in the enchanting Lowcountry. Thank you, Father! God took a dream and multiplied so much bigger than I could have ever thought possible. He does that. Say yes, and see where He leads you!

Susanne