40 years of collecting books leads to Habersham children's bookstore

When Nancy Beaupre was 20, a friend of her mother's gave her a gift -- a children's book about the alphabet.

"She said, 'This can be the first book in your collection,'" said Beaupre, now in her late 60s, who opened The Storybook Shoppe this month in Habersham. "Now I have over 2,000 books."

Beaupre's expansive, personal collection is housed in an upstairs room of her home, but the tomes that line the shelves of her children's bookstore also reflect her passion for improving childhood literacy.

About 75 percent of the books at the shop have won literary awards such as Newberry and Caldecott Medals; the rest Beaupre carefully selects based on expert reviews. Classics like "Babar" and "Cordurory" are mixed in with brand-new releases.

"I try to have things that have great value to children," said Beaupre, who holds degrees in teaching and child development from Michigan State University. "So far, I have had a great response from people about the kind of books that I have there."

The Storybook Shoppe is the second children's bookstore Beaupre has owned. Her first was in Michigan, where she lived until the mid-1980s when her husband, Larry, was transferred to Australia. After eight years Down Under, the couple and their son moved back to Michigan -- but the warm, Lowcountry weather drew them to Habersham in 2005.

"People tend to think that this is a retirement community, and it's not at all," Beaupre said. "There are a lot of children at Habersham. They all call me 'Miss Nancy,' and when they see me on the street they call out 'Hi, Miss Nancy.' They're just darling."

The neighborhood children and their parents have kept business steady at The Storybook Shoppe since its opening. Beaupre plans to hold events that will draw kids and adults from all over Beaufort County and across the state.

An actor portraying statesman Ben Franklin will be in the shop Tuesday, giving brief history lessons and ushering in Independence Day.

"We're just trying to do a lot of different things to excite children about books," Beaupre said. "It's a shop that everyone seems to love when they come in, and that makes me happy. It's fun to come to work every day."

OTHER BUSINESS NEWS

Other recent business openings, closings and changes in the Beaufort area:

• TD's Sports Grill opened June 12 in Beaufort Plaza on Robert Smalls Parkway, replacing the shuttered Beef O'Brady's in the space nearest Plaza Stadium Theater.

Owner Tom Long is a retired New York City police officer and former Marine who trained at Parris Island. Co-owner Diane Whitman has owned several restaurants in Beaufort County and also is co-owner of Chippers at the Old Carolina Golf Course in Bluffton.

Long said TD's is built on the sports theme -- even the last four digits of its phone number -- 379-8326 -- spell out "team."

The restaurant serves traditional American fare and has 24 televisions to "make all the sports fans happy and coming back," he said.

• Cross Creek Apartments, a new community next to Cross Creek Plaza off Parris Island Gateway, plans a grand opening 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The complex, located on Ambrose Run, features one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. It is an income-restricted community.

If you want to let Beaufort Gazette readers know about your business opening or closing, or if you're a reader wondering what is going on at a particular location, contact reporter Marti Covington at mcovington@beaufortgazette.com.