We’ll be located in historic downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, at 23 North Front Street.

We’re scheduled to open in the spring or the early summer of 2027. Renovations of the space began in the fall of 2026. We’re thrilled to be working on this project with the dream team of Old School Rebuilders, Maurer Architecture, and Smith Hanes Studio.

Floodplain Books is co-owned by Wiley and Mallory Cash, who’ve called Wilmington home since 2013. Wiley is the New York Times bestselling author of four novels and a native of Gastonia, North Carolina. Mallory, a native of Wilmington, is a photographer whose work has appeared in Garden and Gun, The New York Times, and many other publications. They’ll be working in the store every day with their two kids, Early and Juniper. Come by and say hello.

Wilmington, North Carolina, is an incredibly literary city crawling with readers and writers from bestsellers and major award winners to new writers who are looking to break into publishing. We’re opening Floodplain Books to create a space for writers and readers to come together, where you can discover a new favorite author or meet a literary legend whose books mean the world to you. We’ve been active members of the international, national, statewide, and local literary communities for nearly two decades, and Floodplain Books will be a space that brings these communities together right here in our hometown.

Floodplain Books sits nestled in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, near the banks of the Cape Fear River. The region is defined by its floodplains, which are among the most fertile ecosystems. Venus flytraps only grow within a 100-mile radius of Wilmington in wetland habitats that are threatened by development and climate change. “Fertile and threatened” could also describe literature, especially here in North Carolina. With Floodplain Books we acknowledge both the richness and fragility of North Carolina’s natural and cultural environments.

We love coffee and plan on selling a special Floodplain blend created by local roasters, but we won’t be serving coffee at Floodplain Books. Downtown Wilmington is lucky to have so many independent coffee shops, and we hope to collaborate with them in fun and exciting ways.

YES! We plan to host everything from author readings to open mics to gallery shows to writing camps to weddings to the occasional party. Please keep us in mind for your event. Use the Contact Page for any queries. In the meantime we’re hosting offsite events for writers like John Grisham, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Elizabeth Kostova, and many more.

Writing a book is hard and takes a long time, and we congratulate you on finishing yours. As a small, independently owned business we have to be deliberate about the books we sell and the authors we endorse, regardless of whether or not they’re traditionally published. Below are a few things we want independent authors to know:

• We will not work with nor stock authors who publish through Amazon. Amazon has long been and continues to be harmful to both the publishing industry and small businesses.

• We will not work with nor stock authors who have paid for reviews or awards.

• We can only carry titles sourced through Ingram. We are a small business and cannot work with authors on consignments.

• If you would like us to consider stocking your book or hosting an event please have your publicist or editor send two nonreturnable copies to the store address once our physical space is open in spring/summer 2027. Please allow us six months to consider your title. Why does it take this long? By the time traditionally published books reach our shelves they have passed through the hands of an agent, an editor, a publicist, a sales and marketing team, and independent reviewers from print and online media, none of whom have been paid by the author. We usually have access to review copies of titles six months before we decide to order them. We will spend the same amount of time making sure an independently published author’s work is right for us.

• We’re excited by the number of organizations dedicated to hosting events featuring local and independent authors, including the Cape Fear Book Fesitval, Front Paige Media, and ArtsnNCevents.

Not yet, but we will be at some point in 2027. We’re looking for serious readers who love talking about books without judging the tastes of other readers. Are you an avid reader, especially one with bookstore or retail experience? Click here if you’re interested in working with us!