About Us

Welcome to a retreat dreamed up by book lovers, for book lovers.

This little escape is brought to you by The Bookshelf on Church—the Northern Neck of Virginia's only independent bookstore, where the shelves are stocked and the community is even better. Owner Lisa McLaughlin has spent years doing what she loves most: smooshing together her passion for the written word with an almost unreasonable enthusiasm for bringing people together. Friends, neighbors, delightful strangers—she's gathered them all around books, building bridges and fostering the kind of conversations where people can disagree with kindness, grace, and maybe a glass of wine.

Planning a bookish retreat has been lurking on Lisa's to-do list for several years (you know how those lists go), and she's absolutely thrilled to finally check this box—especially since she gets to partner with the ridiculously talented Christi Matthews. Christi is a world travel expert and the brains behind Community Retreat Co., which means this retreat will have all the cozy book magic plus the kind of seamless planning that makes you wonder if she's secretly got it all together. (Spoiler: she does.)

So pack your favorite reading socks and join us. We promise good books, great company, and the kind of getaway that feeds your soul.

Have questions about the retreat?  Send an email to hello@christimatthews.com