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30 April 2025 | BeaufortLifestyle.comenterprise. Marshview Mercantile is a seamless blend of general store and lifestyle boutique. Its cozy rooms, deep shelves, and thoughtfully arranged tables overflow with unique treasures, and a warm, welcoming Lowcountry vibe encourages that most popular of pastimes: visiting. %u201cMany of our customers are locals, and they come in on a regular basis,%u201d Sondra says. %u201cI get to meet their visitors, we talk about family and what is going on in their lives, and they add notes to our prayer box. We are so blessed.%u201d %u201cThey especially love my books,%u201d John notes thoughtfully as Sondra laughs. She does indeed carry his poetry and children%u2019s books. Particular favorites are stories about Oreo, the 15-year-old blackand-white dog that he says is %u201cpart beagle and part of my heart.%u201d In addition to on-trend items from markets near and far, Sondra stocks items from local artists and craftspeople. She also offers art classes with guest instructors at least three times per month, which range from beach glass art and jewelry making to painting and Gullah sweetgrass basket weaving. %u201cI love to spotlight local artists and businesses,%u201d she says. %u201cIn April, local artist Carol Sanders will teach a painting class that uses sand from Hunting Island, and we%u2019ll have another sweetgrass basket class with sixth-generation Gullah basket weaver Andrea Jefferson. I%u2019m still working on the lineup. And, in May, we%u2019ll have an event to celebrate our second birthday.%u201d Delicious snacks are prominently featured in the mercantile as well. They include dips, jellies, no-bake cheesecake, soups, teas, and more. On this particular day, a local home baker delivered a batch of special treats for Sondra to add to her store%u2019s wares. Called Pluff Mud Brownies, they contain chocolate chunks, caramel melts, and marshmallows, and Sondra says they were still warm from the oven when they arrived. %u201cMeg from Meg%u2019s Sweet Treats created them just for Marshview Mercantile,%u201d Sondra says. %u201cThey%u2019re so decadent, and they start a whole conversation about what pluff mud is. It%u2019s another way of building community.%u201d Customers have responded. In its first year of operation, the mercantile earned a gold award as the Lowcountry%u2019s Best Gift Shop and a silver award for Best Boutique and Women%u2019s Clothing in 2024. Sondra says she expects to stock John%u2019s newest book as soon as it%u2019s available in April. His fifth book about Oreo and his sixteenth book overall, it is titled %u201cOreo and Joan Find their Way Home.%u201d It features John%u2019s 2-year-old granddaughter. %u201cAll my stories have elements of my life,%u201d John says. %u201cI was a character in one of his first books,%u201d Sondra interjects. %u201cA detective!%u201d %u201cYou were secretary to an FBI agent,%u201d John says. %u201cOh, wow, I%u2019ve just been demoted!%u201d The lighthearted banter continues. Their spouses stop by, laughing along with the stories and volunteering the occasional detail. A cheerful Oreo keeps an eye on everyone, wearing a friendly beagle smile. It is clear, as life rolls onward, that Sondra and John remain fixtures in each other%u2019s lives. It is just as obvious that they are thriving in their reimagined retirement years. %u201cWe%u2019ve been through a lot together,%u201d Sondra says fondly, looking at John. He nods and smiles. Now, it%u2019s time to get back to work. They will be cheering each other on, every step of the way. To learn more about Marshview Mercantile, visit marshviewmercantile.com. For information about John Doriot and his books, visit oreodoriotbooks.com. John and Oreo