Chain, Chain, Chain: Page & Palette Fights Wal-Mart

by Bob Summer, PW Daily -- Publishers Weekly, 3/7/2006

When Page & Palette owner Karin Wilson heard that a Wal-Mart was set to open in her small town of Fairhope, Ala., the bookseller started to think about one thing: protesting. In that spirit Wilson organized what became a massive event on Saturday evening, a human "Chain Against Chains" which drew approximately 1,000 dissenters. According to Wilson, co-owner of the indie bookstore with her husband Keifer, the turnout set a record for anti-Wal-Mart demonstrations. The chain Wilson started was so large that she thinks it could earn her a spot in the record books. "I have not found anything larger in all my research, so we are filing supporting evidence to establish a Guinness world record for the largest anti-Wal-Mart protest."

Fairhope residents and area locals likely turned out in such droves because of an abiding passion for the idyllic feel of the town, which was voted by Southern Living readers as "one of the 3 most charming" in the South. While rumors about the impending super center were initially dismissed by local officials, it's now known that Mayor Tim Kant surreptitiously welcomed the corporation to the area almost two years ago. And last month the retailer was granted a building permit for a 200,000 sq. ft. site spread over 58 acres. Although Eric Brewster, Wal-Mart's senior manager of public affairs in Gainesville, Florida, said Friday that the super center would have "a look unique to Fairhope," the sentiment isn't winning over area residents.