Pink Plemmons' s Place

"Luck was next, another minuscule community, and Elizabeth smiled at the sign on a defunct grocery and feed store. Mr. Pink J. Plemmons's store might be shuttered but his name still endured, proudly blazoned in faded lettering on a sign that hung askew across the buildings facade. Till some antiques picker gets hold of it and sells it to a transplant to hang on their living room wall because it's 'quaint.'"

Well, I'm happy to see that the sign's still there and has been straightened up. I saw it four years ago when I was working on Old Wounds and was on my way over to Cherokee to do what passes for research.  

Luck's in an out of the way part of the county and I was surprised to get the following email a few days ago:

My wife and I have enjoyed your Elizabeth Goodweather books, all of which we've bought at the outdoor store in Hot Springs, NC.  I had gotten a great photo of the Pink Plemmons grocery in Luck, NC, and was blown away when I found it in one of your novels.  

Jim McBrayer was kind enough to let me use the picture of the store that he took back in June.


When Old Wounds first came out, I had a lovely email from a lady (was it Debbie?) who told me how as a child she had worked in her family's fields nearby and after work would be rewarded by money to go down to Pink Plemmons's store to buy a treat.  She, too, was tickled to see the mention of a familiar place.


But I still wonder where Pink got his name? Was it a nickname? (I picture him with light red hair and a sun-reddened face.) Or a family name, short for Pinkney... or Pinkham ... or ...