Planted in Pages brings new life to one of Provo’s historical homes.
Each historical home is given a special inscription people can read to discover more about the home's history. This house's inscription reads:
The Beebe House is a restrained example of the small, pattern-book house of the Victorian era. A comprehensive survey of the city of Provo concluded that it is one of the best of only a few remaining examples of this type. With its arrangement of square corner tower, gables and corner porches, it is the more sophisticated of only two pattern book houses in the city with an entry vestibule in the corner tower. While few houses in Utah are exact copies of the most widely published pattern books, the influence of such books is shown in the sparse ornamentation and irregular plan of residences like the Beebe House.
The house was built for Angus G. Beebe, son of a flour-milling family, who was himself employed as bookkeeper of the Provo Roller Mills managed by his brother David R. Miller. Angus later became a founder of the Beebe Lumber Company. The style and substance of the home, probably loosely copied from a pattern book bought by mail by the owner or builder, suggests the aspirations to fashion of many second-generation Provo residents. Of interest in the interior is the interior woodwork. The oak hardwood flooring is also intact.
Built in 1903, the Beebe house has lived many lives but ultimately has circled back to a couple of book lovers.
According to Lauren Barney, before she and her business partner, Tayler McCrary, acquired the home, it was used as a family home, a birthing center and a boutique.
“It used to be like a little boutique before us. But prior to that, it was a birthing center, like 100 something babies have been born in the building,” McCrary explained.
The new shop sells plants and books, as the name Planted in Pages suggests. Customers can browse a number of book genres, from mystery novels to children books, or stop by for a new house plant to spruce up their own space. They can even just admire each little detail of the newly decorated Beebe house.
“I think it’s really unique. There are so many details,” Hannah, a customer who preferred not to give her last name, said.
McCrary and Barney spent a lot of time working on each detail in the shop to create a space that feels “cozy and safe.” From the dark and mystical wall paper to the pink couch in the front room, each detail was very purposeful on their part.
“We love our wallpaper. We picked everything around it,” Barney commented.
But they also kept some of the house's original charm.
“The floors that are in here, in the main room and in the first room where the couch is, all of those are the original floors. The chandelier that's in the middle room, it is also,” Barney said.
It wasn’t by mistake that the two owners came across the home for Planted in Pages; they were “looking for a historical home” from the beginning.
According to the duo, this house was “just meant to be.”
“And the second that we came and looked in the windows and stuff, before we even scheduled an official tour for meeting, we're like, it's ours, we took pictures,” Barney described.
They chose a house because they wanted people to feel at home. They wanted people to feel like they could “come and hangout” in a personal way a corporate bookstore would not able to provide.
Their dream became a reality after three months of “24/7” working and remodeling. When the day finally came to open their store for the first time Barney and McCrary felt “all the feelings, scared, excited, proud.”
Planted in Pages is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The shop is closed on Sundays.
So whether you’re looking for a new book, a vibrant houseplant or simply a cozy place to unwind, the Beebe House awaits.
“We love being able to share it with everybody, like we love it. That’s what makes it magic,” McCrary shared.