Obituary: Joan Scott of The Country Bookshop

The following tribute to Joan Scott, proprietor of The Country Bookshop and Southern Pines, North Carolina, civic leader, originally appeared in North Carolina's The Pilot.

By Stephen E. Smith: Special to The Pilot

Joan Scott, proprietor of The Country Bookshop and Southern Pines civic leader, died at her home Monday after a long battle with cancer. She was 78.

Scott came to the Sandhills after managing the Sir Francis Scott Key Bookstore in Washington, D.C.

"My mother loved books, and she was determined to own her own bookstore," said her daughter, Amy Scott. "When she was unable to acquire a bookstore in the D.C. area, she purchased The Country Bookshop, and my parents moved to Southern Pines in 1984."

The Scotts immediately moved The Country Bookshop to a location on Broad Street, and after her husband's death in 1990, Scott relocated the shop to a more spacious building at 140 NW Broad St. The business quickly became the commercial hub of the community and one of the most successful independent bookstores in the South.

While the shopping districts of other small Southern towns languished, Southern Pines prospered, in large part due to Scott's efforts.

"Joan Scott wrote the book on customer service," said Mart Dickerson, owner of Celebration on Broad. "She knew books, the market and her customers, and she worked tirelessly at pleasing her clientele. When a chain bookstore moved into the area, she worked harder and her business increased. And she was constantly looking for ways to improve the shopping district. She was the consummate business woman, and I learned a lot from her."

As a member of the Board of Directors at the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities and chairwoman of the Sam Ragan Lecture Series, Scott used her love of books and her business acumen to bring established writers to the area. They included Clyde Edgerton, Jerry Bledsoe, Jill McCorkle, Kaye Gibbons, Jane Smiley, Bland Simpson and many others.

And she enthusiastically encouraged local talent, sponsoring book signings, readings and receptions for many Moore County authors and artists who published books or released CDs.

Scott also was generous to children. She regularly contributed books to the Southern Pines Public Library reading programs to promote reading among young people.

"Each child who completed the reading program received a free book from The Country Bookshop," said Lynn Thompson, director of library services. "That amounted to a lot of free books and a lot of happy children."

In April 2002, the Moore County Literacy Council honored Scott with its inaugural Joan Scott Literacy Award.

"Joan has supported literacy throughout the area in numerous ways," said June Vetter, executive director of the Literacy Council. "We are especially grateful for her support of the Literacy Council. To mention just one of the ways she helped us was through the contribution of books for our tutors to use to give to students."

When the award was presented, Mayor Frank Quis proclaimed April 28, 2002, Joan Scott Day in Southern Pines.

In 2005, the Kiwanis Club of the Sandhills recognized Scott as its Kiwanian of the Year."If any person exemplifies the Kiwanis motto of 'Changing the world one child and one community at a time,'" said Kiwanis President Paul Gibson, "it is surely Joan Scott."

The award acknowledged her support for area schools, county librarians, the Literacy Council, the Sunrise Theater, the Pauley lecture series and a host of other organizations.

Scott helped establish and promote the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame at Weymouth, and she offered her bookshop for book club meetings, literature classes and discussion groups. The windows of The Country Bookshop were always covered with posters directing attention to worthwhile events and attractions in the Sandhills.

"Working with Joan Scott over the last few years has been a very rewarding experience," said longtime employee Joe Monroe. "Small towns are lucky if they have a champion of causes in their midst, and Southern Pines was lucky to have Joan. She was concerned with small businesses thriving in the downtown area, with the development of aspiring writers in the area and across the state, and she encouraged the love of reading in the youngest children in Moore County through her annual Angel Tree at Christmas. She leaves a large void in the cultural life of the Sandhills."

A memorial service for Scott will be held at the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities on Sunday, September 18, at 5:15 p.m.

Reprinted with permission of The Pilot in Southern Pines, North Carolina. September 14, 2005.