In the early months of parenthood, Amanda Badeau found herself walking the aisles of the Mount Pleasant Target, looking for a place to breathe. “Books are my therapy,” she explains. “But even when I carved out time to read, I felt like I was always needed when I was home, even if I wasn’t.” In the liminal, sleep-deprived area between diapers and dawn, her childhood goal of managing a bookshop solidified into The Archive, a refuge for solitude and stories that combines books, coffee, and wine.
Badeau spent 15 years in corporate operations, working with Dylan’s Candy Bar, huge import and manufacturing companies, Amazon distributors, and, most recently, a financial technology startup. “My expertise was in building and scaling the businesses of others,” according to her.
Just before the pandemic, the New York native and her husband moved to Mount Pleasant, enticed by warmer weather, a change of pace, and the prospect of a higher quality of life as they planned to create a family.
Badeau launched her bookstore in April, believing in the power of the printed word to provide escape and strength of identity. “The space started as something I needed, but I quickly realized how many others needed it, too,” she said.
The Archive, located in Mount Pleasant, has a somber, cerebral style reminiscent of dark academia. Even the bookshop’s emblem, a keyhole staring into a starry night sky, gives a sense of mystery, secret, and meditation.
Wall-to-wall built-ins in Sherwin-Williams’ “Pewter Green,” created by her husband’s company, Badeau Builds, are reminiscent of a French château or lighted university library. The color piques staff members’ interest, so they keep paint swatches on hand—enough to constantly deplete the local Sherwin-Williams supply.
Secret compartments hidden among the shelves contain banned books. “South Carolina leads the country in [state-mandated] banned titles [in public schools],” according to Badeau. “It’s important for The Archive to keep those stories alive.”
Everything in the room, from the wine and Counter Culture coffee to the constantly changing array of fiction novels, is handpicked. Badeau began with gloomy academic classics and progressed to fantasy, thrillers, and modern novels. Six monthly book groups, each with a waitlist, include a Banned Book Club, Romantasy, Thriller, Coven (witch lit), and the popular Book & Bottle, which couples each read with a carefully selected wine.
While she investigates e-commerce, Badeau is committed to building community in person. “The Archive is a love letter to quiet rebellion,” she reflects. “A place that gently resists the chaos and speed of the outside world.” It honors the calm strength of selecting one’s own path. Protest does not have to involve shouting in the street. It may be putting a story on your shelves that someone else attempted to mute.”
