A Day of Thanksgiving: Pass Christian to Reopen

"I've been waiting for this moment for 15 months now." The excitement was palpable in Scott Naugle's voice, and with good reason. More than a year after Hurricane Katrina washed Pass Christian Books out to sea, Naugle and co-owner Richard Daley expect to reopen in a storefront location. "It feels good and comfortable to have a bookstore again," Naugle told BTW.

Pass Christian Books in Pass Christian, Mississippi, will be located in a storefront about five miles north of its original site. The bookstore and a number of other Pass Christian businesses destroyed by the hurricane will occupy the building, which is situated on the corner of an intersection in a rural area north of the downtown. The property is across the street from makeshift elementary, middle, and high school classroom trailers.

Naugle had initially hoped to reopen the bookstore in October, but since Katrina every task has proven to be much more demanding. The town is still in a "clean up and rebuilding mode" and will be for several years at least, he noted. "Owning a bookstore is tough enough, but doing it when supplies and labor are almost nonexistent has been a challenge."

Some of the things that others may take for granted, such as receiving shipments, have become complicated, he said. "Occasionally, I've had to convince someone ... that this is a valid address. [A lot of times] they think they have a wrong address, and we have to call up to ask them to resend a shipment -- yes, there is a building here!"

Though the bookstore has not planned a grand reopening event, Naugle noted that the store's planned Holiday Festival on Saturday, December 9, will be "in so many ways our reopening celebration." A number of authors will be present for the event, including Bev Marshall, Carolyn Haines, Phil Hearn, George Thatcher, Leif Anderson, Patricia Pinson, and Allain Andry.

A bookstore holds a special place in any community, but for a town like Pass Christian, Mississippi, the reopening of its bookstore is especially significant. "When we see former customers and say we'll be open again soon, all of them are overjoyed," said Naugle. "They'll have a place in town to go to and just sit where it's quiet." --David Grogan