Pass Christian Books Hopes to Reopen Storefront in October

After nearly a year of conducting its bookselling business almost exclusively online due to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, Pass Christian Books in Pass Christian, Mississippi, is hoping to reopen a storefront in early October -- thanks to the help of a local resident, Scott Naugle told BTW.

Pass Christian Books hopes to open a new storefront this fall.

The new, smaller storefront will be located in a building about five miles north of the original Pass Christian Books store, which was completely wiped out during the hurricane. "I suspect we'll be in there the first week of October," Naugle reported. "The floors are being finished this week, and then we can slowly start moving in. Of course, [in the meantime] we won't refuse anyone -- if someone walks in [prior to the store's official opening] and they want a book, we'll sell it to them!"

Pass Christian Books and a number of other Pass Christian stores destroyed by the Hurricane will be moving into the building, which is situated on one corner of an intersection in a rural area north of the downtown -- across the street from the makeshift grade, middle, and high school classroom trailers, Naugle said. "The area [where the building and schools are located] was high and far enough back that it didn't get the water surge," he explained. "The school district had to move [there]."

Pass Christian Books Pass Christian, MS Mid-August 2005 August 30, 2005

The property is owned by Pass Christian resident Martha Murphy, who is leasing the space only to those store owners who lost their stores during last year's hurricane. According to a report in the Sun Herald, which referred to Murphy's building as a "business incubator," "project tenants will pay minimum rent on a temporary basis, but must show they are trying to move back to the downtown area when space becomes available."

Naugle described Murphy as a local resident who is "trying to help businesses reestablish themselves.... She wanted to establish a town center, to help businesses remain in front of people." After Katrina hit, "she wanted to do something for the community."

While grateful for the chance to reopen his storefront, Naugle acknowledged that it was difficult "having to start from zero" again. The new store will have 720-square-feet of selling space, about "one-third of what we had before."

Fortunately, while without a storefront, online sales via the Pass Christian Books website "went pretty well," Naugle said. "I was pleasantly surprised each month. Book clubs were good to us, and former customers still in the area were loyal, and volunteers working here were looking for books on Katrina." --David Grogan