Wasilla Booksellers Find Themselves in the Spotlight

When Shannon Cullip and her husband, Leonard Cullip, opened Pandemonium Booksellers in Wasilla, Alaska, with business partner Rex Weltz this past June, their aim was to create a "community destination." They didn't expect that their community would become a major focal point for the press or that a local writer's biography of Alaska's governor, Sarah Palin, would become a national bestseller. But they're enjoying the attention, and the sales.

That Palin, Wasilla's former mayor, is Sen. John McCain's vice presidential running mate has the city's residents and Pandemonium customers buzzing. "She's been very popular in the state and popular within the community of Wasilla," said Shannon Cullip. "There's a lot of excitement going through the store."

Cullip explained that she doesn't know if Palin has ever actually visited the 6,000-square-foot bookstore, but said she wouldn't be surprised if the governor had, since some of the baristas in Pandemonium's cafe are friends with the Palin children and "it's a small-town community."

Pandemonium did host a signing with Kaylene Johnson, the author of Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska's Political Establishment Upside Down (Epicenter), before Palin's nomination was announced and the storm of attention broke. "Luckily we had good inventory," said Cullip. "We had 20 copies we whisked through in one day. We're waiting for the second printing. They're telling us that we get first dibs."

Cullip said that, like many in Wasilla, she was proud of the "local girl who made it big." And, she added, "She's a good strong candidate who's not afraid of doing a tough job." Palin's nomination has sparked a few lively "red-and-blue" debates in the store, but Cullip observed that most people in Wasilla aren't saying much if they aren't fans of the governor.

Included in the avalanche of national media coverage of Gov. Palin have been reports of her past involvement in discussions about the possibility of book banning at the Wasilla library. In 1996, The Frontiersman, Wasilla's local newpaper, reported that Library Director Mary Ellen Emmons (now Mary Ellen Baker) said that Palin asked several times if she would ever fight attempts to ban books. Palin has since said that she was asking only looking to acquaint herself with staff and policy. Baker who has since left her job and Wasilla for Fairbanks, Alaska, has declined to comment further on the issue.

Cullip, who perhaps got a more press-centric start to bookselling than she might have expected, noted that she didn't know enough about the question to comment. However, while the media focus on Wasilla has been, at times, a bit overwhelming, Cullip said she had no reservations about her new career and was concentrating on her role as a bookseller during the election cycle -- to create displays and carry titles that represent all views. "People want information about all the candidates -- Obama and Biden, McCain and Sarah. We've seen a huge increase in interest in all things election-related, both red and blue across the board, any sort of political books out there. In fact, we get a lot of people who order books about both sides." --Karen Schechner