Hundreds line up in North Carolina and Tennessee for used books road trip
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A car in Mebane, North Carolina, prepares for the Ultimate McKay's Road Trip. Photo: Courtesy of Alison Carmona Rau
Hundreds of people lined up before sunrise outside a used book store in Mebane, North Carolina, on Tuesday to start an epic road trip for dog-eared pages.
Why it matters: McKay's, a treasured used book store and music shop in the South, is celebrating its 50th anniversary by offering fans up to $800 in store credit and swag to anyone who visits all five locations in North Carolina and Tennessee in one day.
Between the lines: A sign of enthusiasm for old books in the digital age: The crowds were so large in Mebane that people grew frustrated and the store posted on Facebook that participants could skip it and just go to the next one.
- "Absolute insanity," one person wrote in the comments.
- "There are people getting out and WALKING on the freeway to get to the store," another said.
Zoom in: Starting in the east, participants in the Ultimate McKay's Road Trip will stop at shops in Mebane and Winston-Salem in North Carolina, then Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville in Tennessee.
- They'll pick up a McKay's passport at the first store and have it stamped at each store they make it to.
- They'll also get a T-shirt at the second store, $50 in McKay's credit at the third, $250 in store credit at the fourth, and $500 in store credit at the fifth.
Of note: Nate's wife, Alison, and her mother Skyla participated in the trip. They started at the Mebane store with the goal of working their way back to Nashville before that location closed at 10pm Central.
- They packed food to eat on the road and showed up to the Mebane store two hours before it opened and avoided issues there. They arrived in Knoxville in early afternoon and hit a huge line.
- Still, they made it through to Chattanooga and finished at Nashville's store around 3:30pm Central. Nate's now daydreaming of all the frivolous ways he will spend those hard-earned $800 in McKay's bucks.
The bottom line: The trip is 568 miles and takes nearly 10 hours, depending on how much time folks spend browsing.
Read Nate's original story for more road trip details.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details from stops in Tennessee.