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| Shannon Jones | |
Shannon Jones will be stepping away from her role as co-owner, with Steve Mitchell and Brian Lampkin, of Scuppernong Books, Greensboro, N.C., at the end of the summer. Jones and her husband, Darren Jones, purchased former co-owners Dave and Deb White's interest in the business in 2021.
In a message to customers this week about her decision, Jones wrote that when she first came to Greensboro nine years ago, she "had no idea where my life was headed when I walked into this funky new bookstore that had just opened up on Elm Street. I never expected when I started haunting the cafe tables that Brian and Steve would offer me a job, because who in their right mind offers a job to someone three months pregnant? But that's the kind of people they are: endlessly generous, and understanding of the fact that sometimes life is messy.
"I certainly never imagined that Scuppernong Books would become my home, but in the years since that day that's what you've all become--my home, my community.... When I came on as a co-owner, it was my intention to see Scuppernong Books into the future for years to come. But intentions, like life, can be messy things. They don't always work out in the ways we think they will. At the end of this summer I will be stepping away from working in the bookstore. This has been a long, difficult decision for me and my family, but despite the heartache that comes with it I know it's the right one. I hope to continue to support Scuppernong and the community we've built here in other ways moving forward, and I know the store remains in more than capable hands."
Lampkin said, "We worked side-by-side for these past nine years. We did what we could for each other's families through the noroviruses and Covid issues and other medical crises. It's hard to find people who you can trust with all of the ways things can go wrong at an independent bookstore. Shannon will leave us a better bookstore than she found and we'll try to carry on without her. Wish us luck."
Mitchell added: "When Shannon moved to the other side of the counter, from customer to bookseller, we were still a baby store, more idea than anything. She has been instrumental in Scuppernong becoming the store we are. She has the love and excitement for books I hope to see when I enter an independent bookstore, and a broad area of interest to match.
"Over the years, Shannon has challenged our ideas of what a bookstore could be and how it might support different communities. Those challenges are necessary for an organization to grow. We'll miss her perspective, her humor, her proficiency with tools, her wide range of interests, her fresh vegetables. She will leave a gap that probably won't be fully filled."