I finally had the opportunity to visit Scuppernong Books in Greensboro, North Carolina. Scuppernong Books is an independent bookstore that has only been in business for a little more than 16 months. It is located in historic downtown Greensboro and includes a cafe.

Brian welcomed me to his establishment, and we sat down at a cafe table so he could leaf through my vintage postcard book, The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. He was surprised that Arcadia Publishing had not made him aware the book and said he will order the book right away. Thank you, Brian!

For those of you not from The South, scuppernong is a variety of muscadines that are native to the southern region of the United States. In fact, the scuppernong is the state fruit of North Carolina, and my mother loved to eat them. Muscadines are a species of grapes; hence, the bunch of green grapes hanging over the fox’s head in the logo for Scuppernong Books. Early explorers wrote about the abundance of scuppernongs along coastal North Carolina as early as the 1500s.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention another marvelous independent bookstore in Shelby, North Carolina. I am distressed to report that Fireside Books in downtown Shelby is closing its doors on May 9 because it cannot compete with the internet and the “big box” stores.

Support every independent bookstore you find. They struggle to stay in business. Once a town loses its independent bookstore, it loses a bit of charm, warmth, and local flavor that no other type of store can replace.