Emily Bell of Page and Palette contacted me a few weeks ago to share her bookstore with us. I love the combination of a book and art supply store, what a convergence of creativity! Page and Palette is a third generation family business (similar to Warwicks of La Jolla) that just celebrated its 40th anniversary. Since neither Claire nor I have plans to visit Fairhope, Alabama in the near future, I asked Emily if a customer or local author could send us some thoughts on the store. Wow, they have some great local authors that wrote about what the store meant to them on its 40th anniversary, maybe I should check the flights to Alabama:
“Not only is Page and Palette my favorite independent bookstore in the world, it also happens to be my very own hometown bookstore! As an author, I can truly say that book signings at Page & Palette are always a joy and great fun for me, and as a customer, I really appreciate the friendly and knowledgeable staff always ready to help me find what I need. Located on the beautiful Mobile Bay, Fairhope Alabama is listed as one of the most charming towns in America, and any trip to Fairhope would not be complete without a visit to Page and Palette. Located in the heart of downtown, the bookstore is an old-fashioned, family run establishment that through years of hard work and excellent service has now become one of the most successful bookstores in the country. Congratulations on 40 years and best wishes for 40 more!” ~ Fannie Flagg
“For forty years Page and Palette has been a nurturing breast to suckling artists and authors. The attentive and friendly staff knows the hard pinched look of an aspiring writer and they are quick to respond with the kind of attention a struggling wannabe needs in the early stages of a career that has not yet blossomed. Among their clients are authors and artists who are world-class talents. Fairhope is home to dozens of creative souls whose work was displayed and promoted by Bob and Betty Joe Wolff, and now by Karin and Kiefer Wilson. Today, forty years after the doors opened at Page & Palette, the grandchildren continue the task in this remarkable independent bookstore.
No author is unknown here. On a given day one might encounter Jimmy Buffett, W.E.B. Griffin, Winston Groom or Fannie Flagg, browsing through the gift cards and books section. I ran into the actor Tommy Lee Jones here, when he was filming at the battleship U.S.S. Alabama. A customer asked, “Don’t I know you?” Tommy Lee Jones said, “No, I don’t think so.” “Didn’t you go to school in Foley?” she asked. “No, ma’am, I didn’t.” “Have you ever lived in Gulf Shores?” “No ma’am, it wasn’t me.”
When Mr. Jones walked out, everybody said, “That was Tommy Lee Jones the actor!” The lady said, “I think he went to school in Foley.”
There’s no greater bookstore, and no finer family tradition than Page & Palette and the family that has made it the fabulous place it has become to readers and writers.
Congratulation on your Fortieth Anniversary, Page & Palette. Thanks for everything.”
~ C. Terry Cline, Jr.
The bookstore made the news this week for a very unpleasant reason. It’s bookkeeper was arrested for fraud and embezzlement from the store to the tune of $50,000 over the last two years. Last month, the bookkeeper for Quail Ridge Books and Music in Raleigh, NC was arrested for embezzling $350,000. Stealing from an independent bookstore? It reeks of Madoff and the non-profits that lost so much investing with him.
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Hi, just found your lovely blog. Look forward to browsing! Nicola
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That’s just terrible about the embezzlement! We need our independent, sometimes quirky bookstores to THRIVE.
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