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Indie Bookstore Spotlight: Classic Bookshop of Palm Beach, FL

By Sharon Geltner|December 30th, 2021

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Pictured: Jeffrey Jacobus, associated with the bookstore for 44 years.

Owner: Jeffrey Jacobus — once a truck driver, now oversees a beloved bookstore in one of the wealthiest towns in the country.

WHERE THE ELITE MEET, GREET AND READ

This south Florida bookshop, located in the resort island and town of Palm Beach, opened in 1977 and is 45 minutes north of Boca Raton and an hour and fifteen minutes north of Fort Lauderdale.

Current owner Jeffrey Jacobus knows the local culture better than most. “I’ve been in the state since 1955,” he says. “Virginia, my late wife, was a Florida native and began managing the store six months after it opened. Prior to that, she was a book buyer for Broward Community College.”

At the time, the original owners, who owned a chain of 200 Canadian bookstores, had a condo in Palm Beach. The next closest store was in New York City.

“Meanwhile,” Jeffrey recalls, “I was a truck driver, hauling concrete, fuel and packages for 27 years statewide.

“Virginia was so good at her job, she was the only manager in the chain allowed to do her own book buying. She was also the only one to go to American Booksellers Association conventions. We would schedule our vacations and go with her brother at our own expense.”

Her hard work and keen buyers’ eye paid off when in 1992, the couple got an offer to purchase the store. “I was on a road trip to Tampa and learned the manager was flying in from Canada for a dinner meeting in four hours,” says Jacobus, “That was the fastest return trip from Tampa I ever made. I showed up at the restaurant in work clothes with my tractor-trailer.”

Within two months, the store was theirs. Though there would be far greater challenges ahead than stocking the shelves with books that would sell.

SQUASHING THE COMPETITION

“When Barnes and Noble came to West Palm Beach, the local media were sure we were doomed,” says Jeffrey. “We said we would prevail and continue our specialized customer service with book signings. We hand-pick books for our customers and offer free gift wrapping. We also help them pack and ship out-of-town gifts.”

Classic Bookshop’s customer service extends beyond the people in their hometown. “We are a dog-friendly store and keep treats on hand for our four-legged friends. Many days the customer is just walking by and the dog will turn toward the door or just sit down.” What a great way to drive walk-in business!

Now LA Fitness stands were Barnes and Noble (and its coffee shop) used to be. “We survived and thrived thanks to our special clientele. We are now seeing the third generation of families pass through our front door. It is a very special feeling to watch these families mature.”

LOCAL AUTHORS, OUTDOOR EVENTS AND A LASTING LEGACY

“We carry a section of local authors ranging from household names, such as James Patterson, to unknown, self-published authors,” says Jeffrey. “Our biggest challenge is being small (800 sq ft) and keeping the latest titles in stock.”

Fortunately, the pandemic hasn’t broken the bookstore’s stride. “We hold events outdoors, in front of the store. Author and part-time resident Mary Simses promoted The Wedding Thief with slices of wedding cake and champagne.” (You can read BookTrib’s interview with Simses about the book here.)

“We don’t compete on price with Amazon,” he adds. “But we have a large selection of autographed books which they do not have.”

What’s perhaps even more remarkable than the bookstore’s longevity is Jeffrey’s determination to keep the business going, even in his wife’s absence. “In early 2004, my wife was diagnosed with cancer,” he explains. “She passed that September as Hurricane Frances came ashore. She was in the hospital, which was powered by emergency generators.

“Virginia had advised me to sell the store and move on. But as I told Scott Eyman of the Palm Beach Post, ‘The bookstore was her legacy; she’d spent 27 years building it up, and I was just supposed to sell it and walk away? It didn’t feel right.’

“I decided to keep the store going with the same employees and our customers have stuck with us. There was no reason to move. It was the right decision.”

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Mizner Mouse, The Pride of Palm Beach

Join Mizner Mouse, the Pride of Palm Beach, on a tour of the special sites and historic structures of one of America’s most famous resort communities. Visit Sea Gull Cottage, Pan’s Garden, the Little Red School House, The Breakers Hotel,  Worth Avenue and more. This book will entertain and educate you about a jewel of an island.

Authors Peter and Cheryl Barnes are a husband and wife writing/illustrating team that specializes in educational books for children about special and historic places.

Illustrator Anthony Penta Kramer has illustrated more than a dozen books for children. He has worked with several major children’s book publishers and was assistant art director for Clarion Books in New York.

Signed by Illustrator Anthony Penta Kramer.

$16.95

 

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Illustrated History of Palm Beach

An Illustrated History of Palm Beach is a nostalgic journey through the history of the town of Palm Beach as told through the photographic collection of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County. From an early pioneer community, Palm Beach evolved over the past 150 years into today’s sophisticated resort, starting with the grand hotels of Henry Flagler, the Royal Poinciana and The Breakers, and elegant mansions of the Gilded Age. An Illustrated History of Palm Beach is a primary source look into the development of one of America’s most prosperous and enchanting communities.

Signed by the author on the title page.

$29.95

 

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Outdoor Adventures and Misadventures

By Chris Kellogg

This book chronicles many stories that cover deep-sea fishing in the Bahamas and a lightning strike there, too, as well as fly fishing in the Catskills. Then there is hunting quail in Florida and big game in Kenya. Not left out are stories of Palm Beach society, adventures in Mexico, and memorable automobile moments. These are just a few of many varied tales best told next to the fireplace with a drink in hand. Some stories should bring a chuckle or a real belly laugh. Enjoy the many adventures.

$23.95

Also by Chris Kellogg

My Mother Shoots Elephants

Short adventure Chronicles on African safaris in British East Africa. Nonnie ( Fernanda Wanamaker Munn Kellogg)who’s pals in the 1960s included Robert Rouark, she was Kathie in his best selling book UHURU. Richard Leakey and George and Joy Adamson of born free were also pals . Many other notable’s like Thomas Shevlin and Rip McIntosh from Palm Beach who were there during those golden years. Mom a department store heiress spent some 20 years on her farm call Treffos and in the jungles hunting and collecting specimens for museums. She raised funds for the first and second airplane for the game department plus antipoaching units for Meru and Tavo national parks. A 32 page report on her LAWANA FUND projects is also attached with each book. My adventures and misadventures include growing up on the family farm in Bedford New York. Hunting and fishing from Palm Beach to Alaska and Russia. Stories of my hunts getting the BIG 5 in 1961-Lion , Leopard, Buffalo, Rhino, and Elephant . On Safari where Mom, Uncle Gurnee and me the Kid at 18 -One of the most successful Safaris ever, with the story of bagging the largest Elephant taken in the past 60 years. Also why not, some Palm Beach society stories. Enjoy all the many adventures in My mother shoots elephants..

$75.00

 

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Laura Woodward: The Artist Behind the Innovator Who Developed Palm Beach

Laura Woodward (1834-1926), born in Mount Hope, Orange County, New York, was one of a handful of women members of the Hudson River and White Mountain Schools. In the 1870s-80s, she hiked and sketched in the wilderness of the Northeast, revering nature and realistically depicting its pristine state. Her paintings invoked great praise from the critics of the day and her bravery cleared the path for women landscape artists to follow. Woodward came to Florida in the 1880s and from ca.1888-1896 became one of the most extensively traveled artists in the state. She braved the alligator, panther and bear-infused jungles to depict Florida’s natural beauty in colorful watercolors and oils. Woodward was the pioneer artist of Palm Beach, one of the first professional women artists to paint in the Everglades and Miami, and the inspiration to Henry Morrison Flagler in his development of the most magnificent resort in the world. Brought up in the Victorian tradition of modesty, she remained publicly silent about her accomplishments and it is only now that the breadth of her importance is finally known. Laura Woodward: The Artist Behind the Innovator Who Developed Palm Beach not only rediscovers Florida’s most important nineteenth-century woman artist and one of its greatest publicists, it also explores the challenges of women artists who lived in Woodward’s era. It thoroughly discusses the early history of Palm Beach and myths about the great Henry Morrison Flagler are refuted. As Palm Beach County celebrates its 100th anniversary, it is highly appropriate to acknowledge the woman who precipitated its development.

Signed by author Deborah Pollack on the title page.

$39.99

 

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Vintage Miami Beach Glamour: Celebrities and Socialites in the Heyday of Chic

From roughly 1930 to 1960, Miami Beach attracted an exclusive colony of socialites, who mixed with Hollywood celebrities and dignitaries, such as Winston Churchill, as effortlessly as tonic mixes with gin. Elizabeth Taylor announced her ill-fated engagement to the son of a former ambassador in Miami Beach. Other movie stars, such as Veronica Lake, were filmed in the enclave. Beautiful model Bab Beckwith, the first Orange Bowl Parade queen, dated John F. Kennedy while he was in Miami in 1944. Speedboat king Gar Wood bought his mistress a $100,000 bayfront home and then sued to force her to vacate the property. A tumultuous affair between John Jacob Astor VI and Lucille Stiglich led to the young model serving time in the Miami Beach jail. Deborah C. Pollack delves into an era filled with excitement, style, humor and panache.

Signed by the author on the title page.

$21.95

 

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First in a trilogy of fiction from Tim Henry.

$16.00

 

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The rekindled hope that Joe Lynch found as a young Marine when he ran away from his Brooklyn, NY home at the age of sixteen was short-lived. Over time, all hope was dashed and replaced by fear, uncertainty, and self-doubt. Joe’s destiny was to fight the gruesome Korean War battles of Pusan, Inchon, Seoul, and the storied Chosin Reservoir for more than fifty years after the cannons of his beloved 11th Marines fell silent in Korea. Hope faded into a distant memory until, in his golden years, a glimmer on the horizon caught his weary eye. Joe only needed to seize that shimmering vision and muster the last vestiges of human spirit deep within him in order to survive. The Bed I Made is the true story of this Old Marine with one last fight left in him.

$16.95

 

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From its first days as a tropical island resort, Palm Beach has attracted artists, collectors, patrons, and dealers. Founded by Henry Morrison Flagler, the art-loving oil baron, in the late nineteenth century, Palm Beach quickly attracted notables of the art world seeking inspiration and society. Palm Beach Visual Arts explores the incredible story of the island and its painters—including Salvador Dali and Marcel Duchamp—architects, potters, and photographers, as well as the luminaries and doyens who forged the art scene and organizations that still thrive today. This lavishly illustrated portrait explores Palm Beach as a prominent and influential locus for the arts.

$34.95

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