How the ‘scariest moment’ of a South Jersey’s woman’s life prompted her to open a Jane Austen-themed bookstore

Write a book. Sing lead in an Afropunk band. Be a professor. Open a bookstore.

Those are a few items on Charity Herndon’s bucket list, something she began seriously weighing last year when sitting in a doctor’s office waiting room after discovering a lump in her breast just weeks before her wedding.

After a slew of tests, she thought, “If this comes back positive and I’m going to be on this journey, what is one thing that I would regret not doing?”

She’d already checked off writing a book and decided: “It was opening a bookstore.”

Initially, the Gloucester County resident thought she would pursue that dream after retirement, but in the wake of her breast cancer scare — which required surgery earlier this month, but ultimately was not cancer — she moved that timeline up.

“In the scariest moment of my life, this [store] was just the peace that carried me through,” Herndon said. “I’m hoping that when people come into the store, that they feel that same amount of peace and that they feel at home.”

That dream will finally come to fruition on Sept. 5 when Austen’s Shelf makes its debut during a pop-up at the Cherry Hill Mall.

Unlike a traditional bookstore, Austen’s Shelf is a mobile shop housed in a 7-by-14-foot trailer. Inside, the space is lined with bookshelves and has details like wainscoting, beadboard, and trim with tiny leaves. The walls are adorned in a green Regency era-inspired wallpaper, and at one end, there’s a hand-painted fireplace mantle topped with books and candlesticks. Above it hangs a floral installation.

In designing the space, Herndon’s goal was to create something akin to Jane Austen’s sitting room. Nods to the British author, a longtime favorite of hers, are woven throughout the colorful 98-square-foot space, whether by way of a vase inspired by Pride and Prejudice, copies of her books, or ones inspired by them.

“In her time, [Austen] was a powerhouse, and she used her pen to speak against patriarchy and racism,” Herndon said.

The shelves are divided into sections and currently bear 380 books. They’re inspired by what Herndon thinks Austen might read if she were alive today, plus other books Herndon has enjoyed or is interested in, as well as other popular reads.

Sections include young adult and middle grade readers; romance; fantasy, thriller, and mystery; children’s books; historical fiction; Austen’s works; and nonfiction. Books will retail for as little as $1 to about $30.

Interspersed throughout, Herndon has a small selection of thematic merchandise, like greeting cards, candles, and stickers, including ones that say: “WWJAD: What would Jane Austen do?”

The entire store, including the trailer, cost about $10,000 to outfit, she estimates, and came together over the past few months.

For as much as she loves books, Herndon, 29, said she didn’t always see herself reflected in what she read. She’s looking to change that by offering readers a range of diverse voices.

She also wants to create a space where all readers feel welcome, something she said she didn’t always experience as a child. Once, while trying to check out a book from her school library, she was told she couldn’t because it wasn’t at her reading level. Other girls in her class who were white were allowed to check out the same book, she said.

“I never want to make anyone feel the way that I felt when I was not able to check out [a book]. ... I remember feeling so embarrassed and sad, and so I never want someone to feel that,” Herndon said.

Creating space for others extends into her writing today. Herndon’s debut novel, Other Side of the Tracks, is a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in a “racially divided town separated by train tracks,” with characters from each side falling in love, she said. She began writing the young adult book while an undergraduate student at Rowan University and it was published by a Simon & Schuster imprint in 2022 under her pen name, Charity Alyse.

Her second book, Laced in Gold, is due out next fall and is inspired by Ralph Ellison’s 1952 book Invisible Man.

As with her books, Herndon wants Austen’s Shelf to create a sense of belonging.

“I really wanted to be inclusive and that every single person that walks in can find a book for them and that they can see themselves through the characters in the book,” said Herndon, who is a full-time prevention consultant for nonprofit NJ4S in Camden and is pursuing a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling online from Liberty University.

Herndon also hopes that the smallness of Austen’s Shelf is less intimidating than larger brick and mortar stores.

“I think something that makes Austen’s Shelf special is we bring books to people,” she said.

The store will debut with a three-day pop-up by the fountains at the Grand Court in the Cherry Hill Mall. Austen’s Shelf will operate the same hours as the mall, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Moving forward, Austen’s Shelf will predominately pop up on weekends at events throughout the tristate area.

After its debut, Austen’s Shelf will be at the following:

“I hope that everybody finds their favorite read, something to fall in love with when they leave,” Herndon said.