Meet Megan Gallt | CEO

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

Hi Megan, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
When I first decided to open a business I was planning to open a B&B with a bookstore. It has always been a dream of mine to have that safe haven to just read and relax. With us being a military family, that wasn’t feasible. I started Novel Grounds as more of a lifestyle blog, and then slow transitioned into making book items for myself. From that point it was a natural progression to making designs for my favorite books and getting them into the hands of others that wanted to sport merchandise for their favorite books as well; but, in a unique way.

I started out with making sure I had permission to create these designs from the authors and I went to work. One of the core values of my company is inclusivity. We started from the very first item ensuring that all sizing options are always available at the same price for everyone. I grew the company slowly from smaller items like bags, into the multi-faceted company it is today—where we sell everything from clothing and stickers, to coffee. We continue to develop our company into a place that people can shop with confidence knowing that our values are always on display in every product.

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 am the only designer at my company. I say that with pride and also a little exhaustion. But, designing my items is something I like to have control over. I want you to know it is a Novel Grounds original design when you shop, so I design every single item that goes on my products aside from our art prints. As a graphic designer, I use a plethora of elements to craft my designs from the base layer up until they grow into what my customers see. At Novel Grounds when we start a design we have two goals: representing the book and including as many easter eggs as we can. I love sitting down and adding something only a true fan will get when they see a design in the wild. From color choices to fonts, every single part of our designs are meant to be subtle hints at your favorite parts of a book or series.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is one of those questions that always stumps me. I am a homebody and so are most of my friends. When they come to visit Virginia and hang, we typically spend the entire time in my library reading and working. When you surround yourself with like-minded people, and for me those are fellow bookworms, we take joy in the same things: sitting down, reading a book, or working on the book-related jobs we all have. If we are required to leave the couch in my library and venture into the real world, it would only be to buy supplies at the local bookstore and grab some caffeine.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Novel Grounds would not be what it is today without the support of our customers. I know that sounds like something all companies say or cliché, but our customers are the backbone of this business. They push us every day and continue to inspire us with every order. When I get that surprise email on a Sunday morning thanking me for carrying a specific shirt in inclusive sizing that made someone cry, because they got to wear their favorite author’s design? That they were so thankful they didn’t feel called out by buying a particular size and that this shirt makes them feel beautiful and a part of the book world? It’s sentiments like these that make it worth every bit of stress that comes with owning a company. So, our customers deserve so much credit. They are the driving force here at NG every single day.

Website: Novelgrounds.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/Novelgrounds

Twitter: Twitter.com/Novelgrounds

Facebook: Facebook.com/Novelgrounds

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@novelgrounds