Child’s letter campaign brings bookstore

Published 1:16 am Saturday, December 4, 2010

One child can make a difference.

Third-grader Charlie McClurg did, and that’s according to the chairman and CEO of the third-largest book retailer in the nation.

Clyde Anderson of Books-A-Million was at Westwood Elementary School Friday morning to announce a store opening in Walnut Square Mall — perhaps even before Christmas — as a direct result of Charlie’s letter-writing campaign that eventually included 500 students from several schools.

The sudden announcement was made after Anderson and a retinue of school officials, Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce reps and Charlie’s relatives crowded into the classroom of teacher Debbie Reynolds.

“Charlie had an idea this summer that he wanted to write a letter to Books-A-Million, because he got tired of always driving back and forth to Chattanooga going to the bookstore,” said his mother, Jody McClurg. “I thought it was a great idea. We found out about a week or two later who his teacher was going to be, so he said he thought it might make a good class project.”

McClurg said Charlie, 9, struggled and “had to work really hard every day” to learn to read.

“It kind of makes it a little bit sweeter since he wanted the book store,” said Jody McClurg of the holiday timing of the visit. Charlie had been visiting the Books-A-Million store in Florence, Ala., where his grandparents, Dick and Barbara Peck, live. They drove from Alabama for the announcement on Friday.

Reynolds e-mailed all the other third-grade teachers after school got under way in August, and then the letter-writing campaign endeavor spread to a handful of other Dalton Public elementary schools. “Charlie’s Army” sent 500 letters to Anderson at his Books-A-Million corporate headquarters in Birmingham, Ala.

“You’re a very persuasive letter-writer, and I’m very glad to meet you,” Anderson told Charlie in front of his classmates, and then told Reynolds, “I know what you’ve done, you’ve got a lot of great writers.”

Anderson produced Charlie’s original letter — he had all 500 letters under his arm — and told the kids, “Y’all really wore me down, and I’ve just come to tell you and all of the class we are going to open a store in the mall here … and we hope to even have it open even before Christmas. So thank you for doing that, we’re excited about it.”

“You’re welcome,” Charlie replied.

Anderson, who said he was a “third generation” book seller since his grandparents started the company, then gave $25 gift cards to Charlie and all his classmates.

He was asked what role the children’s letters had played in Books-A-Millions’ decision to come to Dalton.

“It’s the only reason we’re coming to Dalton,” he responded. “Dalton was not on our list … I think if we can get the space in the mall on time we’ll have a good store there.”

Mall Manager Brandy Christian said on Friday afternoon her staff was “excited” to be getting a Books-A-Million store, which was formerly in the mall as “Bookland” before the company changed names. She was asked about the pre-Christmas timeline.

“We are definitely moving things along to make that happen,” she said.

Reynolds said the children “all love to read and they all love books.”

“When Charlie came along with the idea they could fit right into it,” she said. “They wanted to write the letters and got very excited. The neat thing is that the children realize they had a voice in this, and that one person can make a difference.”

Asked if a field trip to the store might be in the future when it opens, Reynolds laughed and said, “Definitely!”

For his part, Charlie gushed, “It makes me feel super … it’s amazing … I’m so excited!”

Principal Angela Garrett said the day’s announcement was “good for us — we’ve been working on persuasive writing.”