Ashley Wilson is all about stories: written stories, our own stories and how they intertwine. The best way to make Earth a little more like heaven is by listening to each other’s stories. Stories exist to preserve people and cultures, not the things left behind, she explains.
So, although she opened a new bookstore recently, the story is really about the resilience of a woman, wife and mother. Wilson set up a 10-by-10-foot traveling bookstore at local farmers' markets and events for almost two years. Over Labor Day weekend she opened the permanent location of Fulfillity Books & More at 5548 Trade Street in downtown Hope Mills. Fulfillity is a made-up word Wilson uses to capture a woman’s state of fulfillment.
Despite setbacks, Wilson considers herself blessed and it shows in her warm smile and relaxed presence. That peace is both a practiced art and a gift from God, breaking the generational cycle of what so many women through the ages suffer through: chronic mind-bending stress from absent men, children’s needs, financial issues, lack of time, sadness, and obstacles. Wilson addresses what, for her, turned out to be bipolar and generalized anxiety disorders in three published books of poetry.
“That is what really affected me from a young age to now and has defined me and my experience in this world,” Wilson said.
Medication did not help the severe depression or suicide ideation. It was God and her husband, Frank Wilson, who made the difference. Although she may be the college-educated one, he is the one with the backbone and stability that keeps her upright.
Frank has 14 years of service in the U.S. Army with a deployment to Kuwait in 2020. Currently, he is a staff sergeant, paratrooper and jumpmaster with the 82nd Airborne Division. That same year, Ashley’s brother was killed in gang-related violence and she and Frank ended up adopting his son and caring for his daughter. Soon after, they had two boys of their own.
All three of the boys are autistic. In addition to the normal grief over the loss of her brother, she carries guilt about the condition of the boys. Up periods are consumed with lots of drive, some paranoia and anxiety and little sleep or food. Her story, she admits, is one “for those with inner turmoil, women with lack of hope, minorities with baggage to carry, youths with excuses to give up, special needs parents with paranoias to keep them up at night.” And the remedy has been a gracious God and a loving husband.
Frank renovated the building for the bookstore, which consists of dark walls, white shelving, a beautiful mantle place, a kids’ playroom and lots of used and new books. Fulfillity specializes in fiction, but Ashley is working on building the non-fiction military history section. Customers are welcome to bring in books for donation or trade.
This wife, mother, teacher and entrepreneur holds two college degrees, one in secondary English education and one in curriculum and instruction, meaning she can teach teachers. Because of her profession, she sources many of her children’s and young adult books through schools and libraries. She is well versed in the research showing that just the presence of books in a home increases the likelihood of a child being successful in life.
Ashley has organized Fulfillity in an interesting way. Books are organized by authors of color, for example, or Christians are mixed in with whatever genre the book falls under. Black and Christian stories are simply stories that have earned their place on the shelf beside others of their genre. For instance, you’ll find Christian horror in the horror section. That’s where the protagonist views whatever horror he or she encounters through the lens of their faith. Ashley has seen people shun the Christian section and miss stories that are a perfect fit for what they want to read.
You can visit the shop from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. Follow Fulfillity Books on Facebook for notices of upcoming events like The Fulfillity Book Party: Dark Fantasy Edition at 2 p.m., Oct. 5.

(Photo: Ashley Wilson is the owner of Fulfillity Books & More in downtown Hope Mills. Photo by Erin C. Healy)