Monday lunchtime I got to participate in another fun, “quintessential small-town,” event. The local news magazine I write for – Wake Forest Today – had the official ribbon-cutting for its new downtown office, and I got to enjoy the festivities.
(I had a potential conflict, and almost didn’t attend. But then I read a news article that said “columnist Derek Maul” would be making an appearance. So I showed up. I’m glad I did.)
STORYTELLER’S: Any time a new business opens in a small town it’s a big deal. Mayor Vivian Jones was there; representatives from the Chamber of Commerce; other business owners; interested spectators. Quite a crowd, and quite the buzz.
Wake Forest Today has its offices in the back of Storytellers, and the location is just right for a news magazine. Stacks of books; comfortable easy chairs; just the right balance of old and new; inviting,
If you have a picture in your mind representing what you’ve always imagined a downtown, independent, bookstore should look and feel like, Storytellers is that place; it’s pitch-perfect.
AMERICANA: So I parked at the north end of White Street, enjoyed every minute of my stroll through the town, mingled with the literary crowd, chatted with the mayor (I’m impressed that she already knows my name), squeezed into the group picture for the ribbon-cutting, ate some fine North Carolina barbecue, and then walked around the corner to my bank before heading back to my car.
Sometimes I have to pinch myself this place is just so idyllic, so “best small-towns in the U.S.,” so Americana.
You’ve heard me say Rebekah and I like to bloom where we’re planted. Well, it really is a lot easier when the soil is this good.
– DEREK
(shots of the event – not exactly primo photography!)
