ANYBODY GOT ANY BOXES? BEAUTY AND THE BOOK MOVES UPTOWN!

My landlord stopped by for a haircut a couple weeks ago. She had previously told me that the historic house was going to be placed on the market, would I be interested in buying the property. Unfortunately, the price was so out of my price range, I had to decline. I knew the day would finally come when she was going to find a buyer for the house. Indeed it did because as she was about to leave my shop she told me, “I don’t know how to tell you this but I have two gentlemen who are buying my building.” Yes, it’s true, Beauty and the Book and The Pulpwood Queens Book Club home and headquarters is moving again!

I feel like I have come full circle. I just finished my first book ever, The Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life to be published by Warner Books. The book begins with my former boss telling me, “I don’t know how to tell you this but we are going to have to let you go.” As your life goes flashing before your eyes and you see images of doom and gloom, I have to remind myself what I told everybody in my book. “When one door closes, another window of opportunity will fly right open”. And, it has? Moreover, this one has a picture window with the most incredible view!

I was at my favorite eatery, The Hamburger Store, with my girls grabbing a bite to eat the other night. We had ended our meal with a slice of their scrumptious three-berry pie with rhubarb topped with Blue Bell ice cream. You have to experience this dessert to believe it! As we paid our check, I noticed Jimmy and Pat Moore leaving too, the owners of East Texas Forest Products. We stopped to chat outside as the Moore’s are just about the nicest folks you will ever meet. They loaned me their brand spanking new double cab cherry red pickup truck and a 27- foot gooseneck trailer for our Pulpwood Queen “KATS” float in the Mardi Gras Parade. (We won the Duke of Hebe Award in the Parade with our rendition of Broadway’s CATS for this year’s theme Classic Tales!) Now they also gave us a barn to decorate our float in and a driver for the parade, hunky Chris McGregor who also just happens to be the son of one of my best friends and Pulpwood Queen Pam McGregor. What more could a Pulpwood Queen want to ride in style in a parade? Besides, nobody ever said, “Yes, ma’am”, anymore sexier than Chris McGregor as he helped me from the crack of dawn get the float ready and tear the float down at the end of the day. Woo, I lost my track of mind there for a second. I took him and his family all out to dinner afterwards to The Hamburger Store. Nothing better to reward yourself and others with than that pie.

Pat and Jimmy Moore did not win Citizens of the Year for nothing my friends. They are one of Jefferson’s finest families, always giving, always with a smile and a big heart. Anyway, Jimmy had heard that I was having to move and told me he thought he had a building that I could use. Would Jay (my husband) and I like to come by and see it?

Now Jimmy has restored the old Texaco filling station right on the old highway that use to run smack dab through the center of town. Absolutely darling with two vintage Texaco trucks parked right out front, every tourist and visitor that visit our historic city stops there for photo opportunities. You can almost picture uniformed Texaco attendants running out to service your car. The place is a snapshot picture back in time. Next door, he tore down the old house and moved in this turn of the century built Gulf storage building. He restored the outside, added a cute front porch, with a perfect view of our fair city. An old rock water garden and fountain that matches the rock Texaco building sits right in the front yard. Jimmy plans to stock it with fish. Now the inside was still like an old unfinished barn of a building. Jay and I took one look and we could see the possibilities. Perfect location and right on Polk Street, which is on the parade route in historic Jefferson. Beautiful views out both the front and back doors. On the front porch, you can see down three main thoroughfares and the building had twice as much space as the house I was in downtown.

After Jay and I talked we met again with Jimmy. Hands were shook and the deal was sealed. Beauty and the Book was moving up the street to 608 Polk Street, Jefferson, Texas, U.S.A!

You all we have been busy. Beauty and the Book is business as usual at 210 West Austin, but on the nights and weekends, we are getting our new little gem of a building ready for the big move. We have currently stripped, sanded the beautiful yet worn heart of pine floors. A little office is off to the side that I am painting in shades or Pulpwood Queen Pinks. The drafting style desk will be leopard and my office will house my Tarzan collection. I told Jimmy that this was it; I did not ever want to have to move again so we are pulling out all the stops on this building. Or should I say Jimmy Moore is as he has hired a contractor to get our building ready in record time.

I think you are going to be really surprised with out new look and home. We plan to have online photos and video of our EXTREME MAKEOVER! I was just up at Music City Texas for the Texas Music Awards and got a big ole bear hug from Head Timber Guy, Richard Bowden who also just happens to be President of Music City. We were talking about the building and I was telling him that I wanted to put a Moon on the bathroom door. Then I got to thinking I would put the Moon and the Stars, in honor of Richard, as that is the name of his house band. Would The Moon and the Stars be willing to come sign my bathroom door? I mean how could you turn down that honor! Richard laughed and said, “How about The Moon and the Stars come play for my RE-RE-Grand Opening! Y’all I hope you are ready. Stay tuned for the continuing saga of Beauty and the Book, home and headquarters for The Pulpwood Queens’, the largest “meeting and discussing’ book club in the world! We are going to have plenty of room and I promise, we’ll leave the porch light on for ya!

Tiara wearing and Book sharing,
Kathy L. Patrick
Hairdresser to the Authors
Founder of the Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs