36 Comments
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Brooke Lea Foster's avatar

That's so amazing. I love when a new bookstore opens! I've actually heard of two different small indies opening in small towns this week. Yay!!

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Gayla Gray's avatar

We can never have too many bookstores!

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Melissa Knox's avatar

An actual bookstore! Wonderful

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Gayla Gray's avatar

The Dallas/Fort Worth area is lacking in independent bookstores compared to other areas with the population we have. I'm excited to see this one prosper.

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Melissa Knox's avatar

I hope it continues to do so!

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Janet Payton's avatar

I just drove through McKinney on my way to Arkansas in May (my SIL lives in Pottsboro and we have friends and family in Fayetteville). Now I wish I would have stopped! The bookstore looks great. And I love me some baseball, so Banana Ball looks wonderful. Thanks!

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Gayla Gray's avatar

Thanks for reading, Janet! Even though I can watch the Savannah Bananas online, I think being there would be so exciting. Hopefully, I can get tickets next year.

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Judy Allen's avatar

I was in an actual bookstore over the weekend and remembered the pleasure of flipping through books, looking at covers, seeing all book on one subject next to each other, and it was nice! I hope there are more bookstores coming!

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Gayla Gray's avatar

I hope so, too. :)

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Susan Cooke's avatar

Two of my secreeet wishes: to see every bookstore in the country, and every small-to-medium city. Well, since I can't possibly achieve this, I love to hear about your discoveries. Thanks again Gayla! (PS Another secret wish: to open a small bookstore/coffee shop. Also highly unlikely--sigh--but a couple fo times it almost happened!) Your town sounds wonderful!

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Gayla Gray's avatar

Thanks for reading, Susan! I think owning a bookstore would be really fun, if I was only 30 years younger. lol

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Gettysburg Insider's avatar

Yay! You're so lucky to have a bookstore!!!

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Gayla Gray's avatar

Thanks for reading!

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Jill Ebstein's avatar

You are always entertaining! Thank you

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Gayla Gray's avatar

Thanks, Jill!

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<Mary L. Tabor>'s avatar

Bookstore: Hurrah!

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Gayla Gray's avatar

Thanks for reading, Mary!

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Charlotte Rains Dixon, MFA's avatar

I have never heard of the Savannah Bananas. Fascinating! And hooray for a bookstore in town!

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Gayla Gray's avatar

I had never heard about them until I few months ago, but I'm glad I did. I've had so many laughs watching their games online.

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Patti Petersen's avatar

I may have to make a detour on my way back from California to Michigan by way of your new bookstore! Nice read, as always!

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Gayla Gray's avatar

Let me know if you find yourself in this area!

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Patti Petersen's avatar

Will do, would be delighted to connect with a fellow author!

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Sarah Allison's avatar

Lovely store! Love the upstairs balcony. I heard about Banana ball late last year and had not luck getting tickets this season, best luck to us both in getting tickets next season:)

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Gayla Gray's avatar

Think positive! We will both get tickets in 2025!

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Mr . Ma's avatar

Thanks for sharing such an interesting story, Love this 🥰🥰🥰

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Gayla Gray's avatar

Thanks for reading!

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Nicole Bennett's avatar

That bookstore looks lovely and my family loves watching videos of the Bananas— how fun that he has written a couple of books! Thanks for the recs.

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Gayla Gray's avatar

Thanks for reading, Nicole!

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Jenna Vandenberg's avatar

Seeing the Savannah Bananas is VERY HIGH on my bucketlist!

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Gayla Gray's avatar

Hopefully, you'll be able to get tickets. I follow them on Instagram and always get the biggest smile on my face when I see them in my stories.

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Susan Cooke's avatar

I love the photo of your downtown; it makes me miss parts of Texas (where I was raised). But I also just love to see such streets in any town, and it's nice to know you get to have one where you live, and now with this wonderful-looking bookstore! My bet is it will add greatly to the sense of community there. That's one of the things I love to write about and to push for since so much research seems to be coming out about loneliness in the country, and in some other countries too. So, MORE BOOKSTORES! (With seating and work spaces, etc. as you described!) One of our most wonderful bookstores near me closed (several years ago) because the business people running the expensive area where it was located raised the rent so high it could not afford to stay open. It was a crushing blow to so many people! We do have two others but this one was really special and very much loved.

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Gayla Gray's avatar

I love the quaint downtown areas that are being redone as a destination. The more business that comes to the downtown, the more business and visitors it draws. Yes, I'm so hopeful that this new bookstore will be successful and become a destination for all. :)

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C. Lee McKenzie's avatar

Banana Ball sounds wonderful. I have a few baseball fans--in addition to me--who will enjoy reading it. Thanks.

As to the town square...I can't live in a town that doesn't have one. It's like there's no heart. In CA these are hard to find, but they do exist, and I live in a town with a big heart.

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Gayla Gray's avatar

Yes, they are definitely hard to find in CA, but when you find one and it's a destination, it's wonderful. :) Love me some banana ball!

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