Suite E4 at 7314 Waverly Walk Avenue sits next to Warby Parker. The plan for it is a 10- to 12-foot tree standing in the corner of a children's section, mushroom-cap floor cushions for story time and shelves from the company that built the bookstore set in "You've Got Mail." The tenant is The Reading Tree Bookshop. Axios Charlotte reported in mid-October that it aims to open in mid-December, with a grand opening in January.
For anyone in Providence Plantation, that date matters. The shopping centers closest to home already have a full run of family holiday events on the calendar, with Santa at StoneCrest, snow at Waverly and a menorah lighting in between. If the opening goes to plan, the bookstore arrives right in the middle of that stretch. When the holiday events wrap up, there will be something open seven days a week that wasn't on Providence Road before.
A gap the founders named out loud
The founders describe the gap plainly. Their Indiegogo campaign says that for a city its size, Charlotte has remarkably few independent bookstores selling new books, "and absolutely none that serve the southern part of the city."
Elsewhere in Charlotte, Park Road Books is a full-service independent bookstore for new books in Park Road Shopping Center, with in-store events on its calendar for November and December 2026. The Reading Tree would give the Providence Road and Rea Road side of town an independent bookstore of its own.
Neighbors backed the idea quickly. The campaign set a $20,000 goal and reached it in five days and 20 hours. In early November the page showed $45,850 raised from 52 backers, or 229% of the target. According to Axios Charlotte, the total cost of opening the store is about $500,000, and the crowdfunding helps pay for shelving and some inventory.
Who is behind it, and what will be on the shelves
Julie Isgrigg has worked in the book business for more than 27 years, most recently at Hachette Book Group and earlier at Baker & Taylor. Her co-founders are David and Michelle Ebersman. Axios Charlotte reported that the three plan to hire several workers with autism.
In a Q&A published by Waverly, Isgrigg said she is picking the opening inventory herself. She expects at least 10,000 unique titles when the doors open, across nearly every category for adults, teens and kids. Here's what she has said will be on the shelves:
- Fiction: literature and historical fiction, romance and romantasy, science fiction and fantasy, mysteries, and international fiction in translation
- Poetry: a dedicated section she is building
- Nonfiction: history, science and nature, current events, humor, cookbooks, art and crafts
- Beyond books: the campaign also lists paper goods, puzzles, gifts and small art and craft supplies
The 2,200-square-foot space is built around that children's-section tree. Axios Charlotte reported that Isgrigg's mother is making the mushroom-cap cushions. The shelving comes from Franklin Fixtures, which built the shelves for The Shop Around the Corner in "You've Got Mail."
The events plan matters as much as the shelves. In Waverly's Q&A, Isgrigg described book clubs, craft nights, guest speakers and author visits as the store gets established. She also plans regular book talks where she offers recommendations:
"I love to recommend books almost more than I love to read them myself."
Axios Charlotte added a silent book club to that list. The store plans to be open seven days a week, with hours still to come. In Waverly's Q&A, the founders said the mid-December target depends on renovations going well.
The weekends the bookstore is landing between
The store's opening window falls inside a holiday calendar that's already busy. Both StoneCrest and Waverly have posted family events for the season, all close to home for anyone off Providence Road:
- Sunday, November 29, 9 to 11 a.m.: Pictures with Santa on The Fountain Green at StoneCrest, with letters to Santa and crafts.
- Saturday, December 5, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Merry Mayhem at Waverly, with snow, festive crafts, face painting, balloon creations and a "mischievous holiday duo." Hot cocoa and sweet treats go to the first 500 attendees who register at the registration table.
- Monday, December 7, 4:30 p.m.: Menorah Lighting at StoneCrest, with more details to be posted by the center.
- Sunday, December 20, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Cookies & Cocoa with Santa on The Fountain Green at StoneCrest, billed as one last visit before Christmas, with photos, hot chocolate and crafts.
Mid-December falls between Merry Mayhem and the last Santa visit. If the schedule holds, the walk from Waverly's lawn to Suite E4 will have a bookstore at the end of it for the final shopping weekends before Christmas.
Merry Mayhem doubles as a food drive. Waverly is collecting non-perishable donations for Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, and its most-needed items include canned fish and meat, peanut butter, canned or dry beans, canned fruit packed in juice, and low-sodium soups, stews and vegetables. Bring a bag of cans along with the family.
What else is new on the same three corners
The bookstore is the newest name, but it isn't the only change this year at the centers nearest Providence Plantation.
At The Arboretum, Melt n Dip opened at 8036 Providence Road, Suite 200, over a weekend in early August. The Charlotte Observer's CharlotteFive reported it as the brand's first Charlotte-area shop.
At StoneCrest, CharlotteFive announced Kura Revolving Sushi Bar for 7804 Rea Road, Suite A, with a July 17 debut. The center's dining directory lists Palm Berries as open and shows Local Infusion and Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming among its coming-soon tenants.
At Waverly, the center's November shopping guide lists CorePower Yoga as coming soon.
Most of this list is food, fitness and errands. The Reading Tree's plan is different. It's built around book talks, a children's story corner and a silent book club, the kind of reason to go to Waverly that doesn't depend on a meal or a purchase. That's why it's likely to matter after the holiday events are over.
Keeping track of the opening
The most direct ways to follow the opening are The Reading Tree Bookshop's website and its Indiegogo page. The website currently describes the opening as late 2026 and points readers to Bookshop.org, Libro.fm and the store's social channels in the meantime. The campaign's rewards include branded merchandise and future in-store experiences. For readers who want a book under the tree before the doors open, Park Road Books has an in-store event on its calendar for December 4.
When The Reading Tree does open, it will be at 7314 Waverly Walk Avenue, Suite E4, next to Warby Parker, with the grand opening planned for January.
At Carolinas Real Estate Partners, we keep track of the openings and community calendars around Providence Plantation because they shape everyday life on the streets we serve. If you're curious how a year of changes like these shows up in your own home's value, request a home valuation and we'll walk you through the numbers.
