Naturally, I Checked the Western Shelf
SOUTHER FOLK AND FARM LIFE - You can tell a lot about a small town by its bookshop.
Here in Cullman, we just cut the grand opening ribbon, big scissors and all, for the Arboreadum. Yup, you read that right—the Arboreadum is a bookshop and garden store, cozied up inside a beautiful old home. The kind of place where you can get your hands dirty and read a book at the same time.
Shanen Cottingham is the creator, and what a place! There’s so much heart in this space, from the curated garden books and coffee and tea selections to the furniture around the reading rooms. There’s even a fireplace and a TV for football watching. It’s the South, and people buying a book still want to peek at the Tide and the Dawgs. Shanen thanked everyone at the opening, especially her family, who encouraged her to go do it. She loves plants and books. Now the rest of us have a place to enjoy both, and the lovely old home seems happy in its new mission. Naturally, I checked the Western shelf.
There was Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, but Louis L’Amour was noticeably absent. I’m sure that’s because she was sold out. As a devout L’Amour fan, I’m obligated to note these things when I see them. And speaking of absent books, I may have to put in a request for Louis’s latest work with his son Beau. Shanen makes that easy. Just tell her what you’re looking for, and she’ll have it waiting when you return.
One of my favorite things in the shop is its participation in The Sunday Letter Project. You can browse letters, find one that interests you, and write back. Your correspondence goes through the participating shops, so your home address stays private.
Imagine that. Going to the bookshop to see if you got a letter.
Between that and the missing L’Amours, I’ve already got business to attend to.
If you’re coming for the legendary Cullman Christkindlmarkt, walk the extra block over to 4th Avenue Northeast. It’s well worth the side trip. One thing Southerners do well is spin a yarn, and I’d like to keep a shop around that gives those stories a home. The irony isn’t lost on me, a journalist writing on the web, asking you to go buy a book. But I like having something to hold in my hands and read. Something real and tangible.
So stop by. Buy a book, a plant, and whatever else strikes your fancy. Shanen Cottingham and the Arboreadum are gems, and I, for one, sure hope the shop is around for a long time. I’ll see you by the fireplace and the football TV. From there, I can see the Westerns and the nonfiction.
The Arboreadum 104 4th Avenue Northeast, Cullman, Alabama
Closed Sundays and Mondays
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