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By Kris Harrell

A Greenville author has officially launched a book business with a series that will highlight local shops, businesses and organizations in the popular destinations cities for newcomers in the area. 

Vesta Taylor recently revealed the first volume in the series with her new venture, Our South: Shop, Travel, and Live Throughout the South, with “The Camellia City.” In an event held on Thursday, Jan. 30, Taylor sold and signed copies for attendees at The Lodge at Sherling Lake.

Previously, Taylor was an interior designer in Fairhope, working in locations like the Governor’s Mansion for four years. After moving back to Greenville, the book idea came to Taylor during her prayer time. 

She continued to pray about how the idea would take shape for a year before talking about it with her husband. 

“The book is what God brought me,” Taylor said. “The whole concept of the book, how the book’s going to help the people that do ads in it, and how the book is just a beautiful coffee table book, it doesn’t expire so they’re not buying a one-time ad for one week.” 

To make this ten-year dream a reality, Taylor taught herself graphic design and completed the cover design herself. 

After a year and a half of work on the project, Taylor completed “The Camellia City,” a volume filled with advertisements and founding stories from organizations and businesses in the Greenville area.  

“Vesta approached us and talked to Jan [Newton] and everybody about her ideas and how it might be an opportunity for the Camellia Society,” said Pamala Nolan, publicist for the Greenville Camellia Society. “We were happy with it – thrilled with it actually. We had a couple of different drafts, and we talked about the strengths of each of them. Between our ideas and we decided on this [double-page spread] format.
“We’re hoping to reach a larger market; we hope everybody picks one up, gets to know a little bit more about the Greenville Camellia Society and comes to the [Camellia] Show and Gee’s Bend Quilt Exhibit.” 

The books will be available through the Chamber of Commerce, hotel coffee bars, the rest stop and other local businesses. During the book reveal, copies were also sold for $11 to attendees. 

The pages of the book will also be available on the website, which is currently under construction. Taylor hopes that the future website will also provide evergreen advertising to those who purchase ad space in the book.

“That’s my strive, is to make sure it works for everyone that does an ad in it, and with the way it’s going to connect, it’s going to work,” Taylor said. “I’ve never seen a connection like it, I’ve never heard of something that connects like this. If you pick up a magazine in Montgomery or Greenville or anywhere it’s just their magazine and it’s over unless it’s on a stand in the bookstore.”
Additionally, Taylor said the first ad in each volume will be for her foundation, Teddy Beddies, an effort to raise money to provide children in hospitals with teddy bears on Christmas Day. 

The project is inspired by Taylor and her husband’s shared story of loss.

“Before me and my husband met, my sister Shelia Ann passed away at [age] 10,” Taylor said. “She was taken in a Fort Rucker helicopter and flown to Columbus, Georgia. She taught me how to tie my shoes [and] ride a bike. I remember her very, very well. I was six years old when she passed.
“I met my husband, and when we started dating, I was telling him about my sister Shelia. He was confused because his sister Shelia [Renee] also passed away in the same hospital in Columbus, Georgia. He said we were soulmates.” 

After “The Camellia City” launch, Taylor is currently working on books of the same style for Auburn; Blue Ridge, Georgia; Savannah, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina and more. 

Taylor said wishes to thank the businesses and organizations that bought advertisements for “The Camellia City” and Our South: Shop. Travel. Live without first seeing what it would look like ahead of time, due to it being the first issue of the series.