Fearless Peerless

I sat with George Scott in his brand new facility on a rainy Tuesday this week and wondered aloud what possessed a man to open a book store while so many others are going the way of eight-track stereo players. Independents are shuttering their doors left and right, Borders is in Chapter 11, and Barnes & Noble is searching for a new identity.

“No, it’s a great time to start up,” George reassured me. He swept his arm around the store. “Look at this stuff.” He meant the shelves, chairs, credenzas and books. “I got a lot of this for ten cents on the dollar from Borders.” But not all of it. Some of the books came from from his private stash at home. And some of the shelving was rescued from a Blockbusters that went kerplunk a couple of years ago. George is careful with his money.

He’s got other things going for him, however, namely his genuine enthusiasm and love for books and authors. Then there’s his experience. He’s not new at this. He’s been involved with several other book stores and has a resume as long as a contrail when it comes to setting up book signings around the Southeast.

George has hobnobbed with a lot of big-time writers, many of whom he knows on a first-name basis–Steve Berry, Michael Connelly, Nelson DeMille, Vince Flynn, etc., etc.

There’s something else really cool about George–and I like this because I’m ex-military–and that’s his Books for Heroes program. It’s a charitable effort that ships books to our troops overseas, especially those in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Do yourself a favor if you have an affinity for books and live on the north side of Atlanta. Drop by Peerless and visit. Say hi to George. Browse. The store is easy to find near the intersection of Holcomb Bridge Road and Nesbit Ferry Road in Alpharetta (east of 400).

If you need an excuse besides books to make the trip, there’s a big Kroger nearby, too.

Photo: The Peerless Book Store, Alpharetta, Georgia
What! A book store actually OPENS while others are melting away like Arctic sea ice?