SouthPark, Charlotte, North Carolina. The Intimate Bookshop, circa 1990. This was one of several locations of this chain, long since closed. (Pat Richardson)Find more SouthPark memories like this at SouthPark circa 1990
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I always liked the Intimate Bookshop (I miss its squeaky wood floors). Here's some history for those unfamiliar with the chain--
ReplyDeleteWallace Kuralt, owner of the defunct Intimate Bookshop chain, died December 13, 2003 of skin cancer. He was 64 years old. Kuralt, who was the brother of the late CBS newsman Charles Kuralt, bought the original Intimate Bookshop on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, N.C., in 1964. At its pinnacle, the Intimate chain encompassed nine stores throughout North Carolina and one in Atlanta. But faced with competition from the bigger chains and a run of legal and financial troubles, as well as a fire at his flagship store, Kuralt was forced to close many of the locations. The last Intimate store went out of business in March 1999. In 1998, in a move that mirrored the ABA's lawsuit, Kuralt filed a price discrimination action against Barnes & Noble and Borders in which he accused the chains of persuading publishers to grant discounts that were unavailable to Intimate or other small stores. Though a judge in New York ruled in favor of the chains this past September, Kuralt had filed an appeal."
Wallace Kuralt also owned two Intimate Bookshop Stores in the greater Chapel Hill area too....One was right Downtown on Franklin Street right next door to the Varsity Theatre that remained opened until 2002. The one over at Eastgate Shopping Center closed in 1999. There was one over in Raleigh too...I'm thinking on the lower level of North Hills Mall that didn't last very long.
DeleteI had no idea that Charles Kuralt's brother owned Intimate Bookshop, but I was very familiar with the SouthPark store from my visits there.
ReplyDeleteIt was sad when it closed, because it was one of the few old-school bookshops left. Not only did it have the creaky floors, it had piles and piles of books...and not just the best sellers either!
Their last gasp was a store in Greensboro in the lower level of Four Seasons Town Centre. Its entrance escalatos were where Starbucks is now. It took up just about the whole basement level of the center court ("Centre Park" in the Four Seasons parlance of the time.) It was highly innovative, but it wasn't profitable, not to mention a security nightmare.
I remember that store at Four Seasons. You're absolutely right about it being a security nightmare
ReplyDeleteThere was an Intimate Bookshop in Chapel Hill's University Mall that opened in 1973 and closed in 1999. It was in the same location where Bath and Bed is today. It moved to Eastgate Shopping Center that same year and it closed right after three years.
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