From a user on another forum,
“We passed by there tonight and peeked in the windows, thinking what a great old bookstore it looked like. Instead, we saw books piled nearly floor to ceiling all through the inside. Some of the piles had already fallen over, and there was no floor space left to even navigate through it.
Strangely, the door next door was piled with more books, and there was a long stairway that led up to what we assumed were living quarters, with piles of books on each step.
Obviously the place is no longer open, but we were wondering if anyone could shed some light on the mystery. The whole thing just struck us as a Twilight Zone episode, complete with a possibly extremely eccentric owner.”
This looks amazing. Surprised you didn’t break in…
My immediate thought like the guy above was “break in!” How amazing there were books on the stairs and everything. I wonder what happened. Now I’m going to have to google.
The owner’s name is Chuck Whittington. The name of the bookstore is Whittington’s Bookstore. I believe he inherited the property but could not pay taxes on it and had it closed. It is in great disrepair. There are giant holes in the floorboards. He still lives on the floor above it. He is quite eccentric and a polymath, an autodidact expert on various subjects, particularly bluegrass music and folklore.
Last I heard he plans on selling the books one by one or in collections over the internet. I doubt the place will be turned back into a bookstore anytime soon. It is a sad story.
It is a sad story. He sounds like someone who would own a bookstore. My favorite bookstore in NC is owned by a very quirky little lady who is most knowledgable about seafaring and types of hats. These are precisely the people I want to run my bookstores.
If he does decide to sell, I might have to buy one just to be a part of the story of the bookstore. Someone should write the story.