Alexis Wentland never planned to open a bookstore.
She had her vintage school bus. She had her freedom. She had nearly 5,000 Instagram followers who loved the "Smut Bus" exactly as it was.
Then summer hit. Then the heat won.
"I was very, very adamant that I was not going to go brick and mortar," Wentland told the Post & Courier. South Carolina weather had other plans. More than half her outdoor markets between July and October were canceled or rescheduled. No AC on the bus. No shade. No customers willing to climb aboard in 95-degree heat.
So she pivoted.
A New Chapter on Sam Rittenberg
The Bindings Collective — formerly Bound To Bindings, still affectionately known as the Smut Bus — is opening at 2048 Sam Rittenberg Blvd. in West Ashley. Target: first or second week of March.
The space has sat vacant for years, previously home to an eye doctor's office. Neighbors assumed another medical tenant was coming. Instead, they got romance novels and local artisans.
Lydia Puwalski Reynolds, who works next door at Stella Nova salon, found out on Feb. 3. Her reaction? Pretty much what you'd expect.
"We have many romance readers in the salon," she told the Post & Courier.
More Than Just Books
Romance is the anchor, but The Bindings Collective is aiming wider.
Wentland is converting one of the former exam rooms into a dedicated children's space — TV playing Reading Rainbow, used books, coloring, games. The whole setup. Because some parents hesitated bringing kids onto a bus nicknamed the Smut Bus. Fair enough.
"There's no reason why anyone should feel any sort of way about bringing their kids in here," Wentland said. "I want it to be an accessible spot for everybody."
Local artisans get shelf space too. And when outdoor markets shut down for heat or rain, Wentland wants to offer those vendors a pop-up home inside the store.
The bus isn't retired — it'll still roll to events. But the store gives Wentland something the bus never could: a place to bring her five-year-old son to work.
First Event: March 13
Mark it. Wentland has already publicized a book bedazzling event with a local author on March 13. That's the hard deadline driving her breakneck opening timeline.
More events are coming. The vision is clear. And Wentland — who got her keys on Feb. 3 and announced the news the very next day — is still processing all of it.
"I've been walking in here the last few days thinking, 'This is absolutely insane,'" she told the Post & Courier. "I never in a million years thought that I would be turning the key to a bookstore."
West Ashley is ready. Smut Bus era: complete. Bindings Collective era: loading.
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