These are not just any books, though. Many are vintage, rare and first editions. That distinctive, earthy old-book smell wafts through the shop — it’s a delightful and warm welcome to visitors. The vintage books draw serious readers, but the Parmenters offer much more. They feature children’s classics, inspirational and devotional tomes, plus Catholic and Christian fare. They carry old-time superhero comics and cards with inspirational quotes from St. Ignatius, Helen Keller and even Anne Kertz Kernion.

“I have a relationship with each book,” Jan said.

So does Bob, who opened The Vault, where he keeps the collectibles.

“These are first-edition books,” Bob said.

“These are the Pulitzer Prize winners from a long time ago,” Jan added. “And some of them are signed by the author.”

Bob is particularly proud of Tree and Leaf, signed by J.R.R. Tolkien. It combines two works — Leaf by Niggle and On Fairy-Stories, which Tolkien created in the 1940s.

“It’s been around the world, and it’s finally come home,” Bob said.

The Parmenters said they have spent 30 years collecting vintage and first-edition books. Now they want to share what they have found.

“We have all price levels. You can come in and pay five bucks and read C.S. Lewis,” Jan said. “These are the books that every kid should read.”

So are the Brave Books series by Trent Talbot. She described them as being “like comic books on faith. They deal with certain rules in life. It’s really a very cool series — just a few words and a lot of pictures,” something children need when they are just starting to read.

The Parmenters want to start a reading hour for children at Spotlight. They encourage both parents and grandparents to bring in their youngsters, then kick back and enjoy story time in a relaxed atmosphere surrounded by the works of literary masters.

“So many kids’ books are dark. They just aren’t appropriate,” Jan explained, so they want to offer an uplifting experience for children by reading books with a message.

Because You’re My Family by Missy Robertson is one example. It delves into family and unconditional love. Another is Little Lives Matter, by Elizabeth Johnston, that talks about the value and sanctity of life.

“This is my challenge,” Jan said. “This is an experiment to see whether we can reach people.”

She hopes children are drawn to familiar tales of old. They can read the 1938 take on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that was illustrated by Wanda Gag and published by Coward-McCann. This version of the Brothers Grimm story won the Caldecott Award in 1939. Its pages simply breathe history.

The Parmenters want to share this experience and hopefully inspire a new generation of readers by opening up their world to the imagination of the Brothers Grimm or the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen and so many others.

“That’s why these books are so special,” Bob said. “A lot of them are out of print. A lot of them are hard to find.”

Bob is the collector of the family, and Jan said their hunt for vintage books took them to shops all over the country. But they have a lot to offer. Jan, for instance, holds a doctorate in theology.

She earned her master’s at St. Joseph’s College of Maine, then studied for her doctorate at Newburgh Theological Seminary, a Protestant college in Indiana.

“I wrote my dissertation on Mary,” she said.

She also was invited to the Centro Pro Unione program at the Vatican in the early 2000s, where representatives of different faiths discussed promoting the modern ecumenical movement. She was there as part of the Catholic leaders from the United States. 

“I understand the differences, but I think we have so much in common,” she explained, just like in life and with books too.

The Parmenters, who attend St. Paul the Apostle and Jesus Our Risen Savior churches in Spartanburg, know great authors. Many of their first-edition vintage books focus on human concerns.

“G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis, they deal with beliefs,” Jan said. “The great authors talk about deep human needs, and you cannot talk about deep human issues without talking about faith.”

Unfortunately, some of these authors have been forgotten, but not Chesterton or Lewis, and certainly not Tolkien. 

Chesterton’s The Secret of Father Brown from 1927 — the story of a priest who solves crimes by getting inside the criminal’s mind — comes alive at Spotlight, and Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings never goes out of style.

Jan said that children who don’t read can’t understand how broken the human condition can be.

“A lot of these books bring back reality,” she said. “Their message is timeless. That’s why they’re so popular. They are about issues of struggle, and most of it is about evil. … Open a book and understand good overcomes evil. You can’t hang in the middle. There comes a point when you have to say, ‘That’s wrong,’” she added.

The Parmenters discuss William Faulkner’s A Fable from 1954 in the same breath as Isabel Allende’s first novel, The House of the Spirits, from 1982. They love anything by Carson McCullers, including The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and The Member of the Wedding, both from the 1940s.

“She depicts the inner lives of lonely people,” Jan said. “It gives you hope that you can connect with others. It encourages kids. We’d certainly like to get people to come in and connect. We’re trying to encourage independent spiritual growth.”

Most of all, they want people to open the pages of these books, dive deep into authors’ words and fall in love with reading all over again.