North Carolina bookstore gets its own Super Bowl ‘ad’ — and a shoutout from Tom Hanks
A small North Carolina bookstore was featured in a Super Bowl “ad” — on Stephen Colbert’s show.
The comedian turned to actors Tom Hanks and Sam Elliott for a shoutout to Foggy Pine Books in the mountain tourist spot of Boone.
“Foggy Pine Books on King Street in Boone, between the Baptist church and the Boone Saloon,” Hanks sings during the two-minute tribute.
The jingle aired on Sunday night’s episode of “The Late Show.” During the segment, Colbert mentioned the high-cost commercials that ran earlier during the Super Bowl game.
“These big companies aren’t the ones who need our support the most right now,” Colbert said. “It’s small businesses out there that have been hurt the most in this pandemic.”
For months, some small businesses in North Carolina and beyond have struggled to stay afloat with fewer customers and coronavirus-related restrictions.
Colbert said his talk show chose one shop to highlight in a “high octane” video, which starts with a skydiver jumping out of a plane.
“There’s a special breed that hungers for adventure, an escape into the unknown,” said Elliott, the narrator. “When you’re ready for that next chapter, there’s only one place to go.”
That’s Foggy Pine Books, according to the video, which describes the store’s online ordering and in-person pick up options.
“For those ready to push the envelope to the limit, Foggy Pine now offers a drive-thru window so you can pretend you’re buying fast food,” the narrator said as a woman appears to take a bite out of a book.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Foggy Pine Books also is offering curbside and delivery options within Boone, roughly 85 miles west of Winston-Salem, according to its website.
For its part, the bookstore on Twitter said it was “so excited & honored to be featured on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
After the segment, bookstore owner Mary Ruthless said the business received hundreds of orders and can pay its bills, the Watauga Democrat reported.
“I get to keep having my dream store,” Ruthless said, according to the newspaper. “So everything, it means everything.”
This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 11:41 AM.
