We had the good fortune of connecting with Madison Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Madison, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
School was really tough for me. I struggled so much and especially with learning how to read. I had to repeat a grade in elementary school because I couldn’t read. I remember getting pulled out of class for special tutoring and being sent to take tests to see if I had any learning disability. It made me feel embarrassed that I wasn’t as smart as other kids.

I hated reading. I was slow and it took too much effort. My mom spent hours teaching me to read. It was a long and slow process. She diligently sat by me and helped foster my love for reading. It wasn’t till I read “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” that I felt the magic of reading. I was 10 and read the book in three days.

Reading was still a struggle but now I knew what joy could be had from it.

Classic Literature Love was inspired by my learning struggles. I wanted to share that classic literature can be for everyone. You don’t need to be super smart or have a PhD. All you have to do is read to enjoy these wonderful books.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m really just proud of myself for actually trying to create something. I’ve never thought of myself as an artistic or creative person. So this journey has been so fun and challenging.

I really just love taking pictures of books. It was a lot of trial and error when it came to figuring out how I wanted to share my books. I’m all about keeping it simple.

I use my iPhone and do all editing on Instagram. I want people to see that you don’t need fancy equipment or spend hours editing.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have lived in Greenville my whole life and seen how quickly it’s grown. The Swamp Rabbit Trail is great biking and walking. It takes you all over Greenville and we enjoy walking to Unity Park and meeting friends.

In Travelers Rest there is an amazing pizza place called “Sidewall Pizza” that is our favorite local restaurant. Right across the street is “Bridge City Coffee” that has great coffee.

I love going to thrift stores and that’s where most of my book collection has come from. My favorite thrift store is “Safe Harbor” resale shop. It’s so pretty and they always have amazing vintage items.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Classic Literature Love would not have happened without my daughter Scarlet. She was born in March of 2020, right when it seemed like the world was falling apart. That first year of motherhood was unlike anything I could have expected.

I was simply trying to survive each and every day. Living in flight or flight mode and not even realizing it. I remember a year and half into motherhood feeling like I didn’t want to do this anymore. I didn’t want to be a mom and couldn’t be mom.

Not until I had a breakdown did I finally get help. I was diagnosed with PPD when Scarlet was 16 months old. I had been dealing with it the whole time and just didn’t know.

With the help of a loving God, therapy and medication I was able to slowly get through this dark time in my life. I started reading classics again, starting with War and Peace.

God was merciful in all this.

Instagram: Instagram.com/classic.literature.love

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