Ramsbolt Who's Who
Artwork by Al Hess - https://www.alhessauthor.com/about
Logan Cole
Logan fled public scorn after her father’s incarceration and landed in Ramsbolt after hopping off a bus in the furthest northern town she could reach. After talking her way into a job at the tavern, she’s made a name for herself as the town’s bartender.
Grey
The town’s sarcastic plumber met his match in Logan Cole. With scraggly brown hair he keeps under a knit cap, he can often be found in T-shirts and jeans and a pair of work boots. He drives an old blue pickup truck with a passenger door that only opens from the outside.
Adelle
Adelle’s father served as town manager for years. Observing the constant demands and irrational expectations of the town left her craving a quiet and simple life. But it was all upended when the town manager quit to go to college and she was coerced into taking on the role. When she isn’t tending her flower shop or fielding pothole complaints, she’s across the street with her boyfriend Kyle.
Kyle
Kyle moved back to Ramsbolt after years in the white collar world of finance and took a short-term job at Zeb’s farm that lasted a lot longer than he expected. With his yellow lab puppy, Jacques, he’s done his best to help everyone but himself. Taking a leap he should have made years before, he started a kitchen store and never looked back. If you see a guy who looks a little like Mo Rocca picking through the fruit at the market, that will be Kyle.
Penny
Penny’s first impression of Ramsbolt wasn’t a good one. It seemed like every person in town had dumped their unwanted furniture on her grandmother’s doorstep. But she found in Ramsbolt what she didn’t have in her hectic life as a surgical resident in a stressful, cut-throat environment: a slower pace, genuine friendships, and a path to healing a different kind of hurt. As people came to her in search of furniture to overhaul their homes, she learned that medicine isn’t the only way to cure a broken spirit. Now she calls both the antique store and Ramsbolt home.
Nate
After coming to Ramsbolt in search of a quiet life and inspiration for his dream of being a painter, Nate bought a toy store as a way to pay the bills. He makes enough to live on, sells paintings on the internet, and spends the rest of his time admiring Penny (whose store is next door), drinking wine, and tending the fire pit in the gravel parking lot behind their stores. If you see a guy around town in a well-loved sweater a size too big and spattered with paint, that’s Nate.
Marissa
She’s not just the baker of sweet treats. Marissa is also a shrewd business woman, fiercely loyal to her friends, and discerning in the gossip she spreads. If good news is uttered in her store, she’ll be on the phone faster than you can say sticky buns.
Arvil
The greediest, most self-serving man in town, Arvil will never claim to be anything different. He gobbled up commercial properties early in his life and has lived on the rent ever since. Unfortunately, for a very long time, his expectations failed to match up to the town’s abilities. After abandoning his effort to build a fancy new office building at the site of Helen’s Tavern, he’s become more realistic. Arvil can often be found reading the newspaper in the shadowy corner at the bar, ordering cocktails from the only person in town he’d call his friend. Just don’t let Logan know he said that.
Stuart
Stuart’s best friends were the ones he found in books, but as a creative writing professor, he struggled to bring new worlds to life. It wasn’t until he visited Ramsbolt that his writer’s block dislodged, and when it did he realized he was chasing the wrong kind of story. Now that he’s settled in Ramsbolt and started the town’s first newspaper in more than a generation, Stuart is learning that not every bit of buzz deserves the paper it’s printed on and not all small town stories are small after all.
Sandy
The town librarian hates to read books. She prefers to read on a tablet instead. She’s also somewhat extroverted and will talk your ear off if you stand still for too long. She’s a fierce defender of books, however, and will ban you forever if you bring in food or drink. The only exception is the town meetings that are held in the basement. Food and beverage is permitted, but never pie. Not after the tragic children’s book incident during the summer of 2012.
Helen
After opening her diner in the 1980s and scaling it back to a pub after the town suffered from a series of economic setbacks, Helen was in debt and hobbling on aching knees. She was on the verge of closing the bar when Logan came looking for a job. The tavern is once again thriving, and Helen found in Logan the granddaughter she always wanted.Sign up for the newsletter for a free story about Helen!
One of the kindest men in town, Warren spent his life amassing a portfolio of apartment properties around town that he rents to those who need housing at very affordable rates. He also runs the newsstand and serves as the arbiter for disputes between the towns older residents who congregate at his counter and dissect newspaper headlines.
Dan and Bern
As Zeb’s two most reliable employees, Dan and Bern spend their days working at the farm. They spend their evenings, clad in plaid flannel and dusty denim, bickering at the bar. For all his hard work, Bern merely wants to watch sports, and for all Bern’s chattering, Dan would give his arms and legs for some peace and quiet. As a result, Dan ends most town arguments that play out in the tavern by clearing his throat.
Jaleesa
Jaleesa is Warren’s daughter and the town mechanic. One of the town’s younger business owners, Jaleesa loves bright dresses, zinnias, and fixing any car anyone will bring her, especially if it’s a Jeep.
Carol and Diane
As owner of the hardware store, Carol knows every sink and light fixture in town. She will not let you buy the wrong thing. When not at work, she and her wife Diane enjoy cooking and trying to master country line dances they found on YouTube.
An undying fan of tea, Diane saw a need and filled it. She purchased a house at the end of Main Street, near the church, and created a frilly tea-cozy extravaganza. But don’t expect a lacy, prim lady if you visit. Diane can dish out harsh advice as if you were paying her to do it. In her spare time, she enjoys reading classic literature, for which she names her tea blends, and she enjoys making model cars. She does not, however, enjoy the country line dancing nearly as much as her wife, Carol, but you’ll never hear her say it out loud.
Lewis & Mack
Lewis and Mack are the last remaining Ramsbolt residents who graduated in the class of 1955. Now in their 80s, they have taken on the self-appointed roles of town curmudgeon, complaining about trees that reach beyond property lines and lamenting town progress. Suspender advocates and beard growers, Mack and Lewis proudly attend every town meeting.
Shawn
In his day job as the market’s bag boy, Shawn enjoys chatting about newspaper headlines with customers, but he’s always had his eyes on the horizon. Desperate to find a music scene, he can’t wait to get out of Ramsbolt.
Emily
As the chief loan officer at Ramsbolt Rural Lending, Emily is privy to a lot of personal information, most of which she shares with Marissa and anyone else in town who will listen. It is Emily’s tendency toward gossip that led Logan to call the bank “Ramsbolt Rumors and Lending.”
Meldrick Lacey
Meldrick’s family has been in Ramsbolt since before it was founded, and he would very much like you to know that he is not being listened to and unless he is, the town will only end in calamity. As the town’s chaos monster, Meldrick often creates drama for the sense of validation. Having successfully run for town manager after the passing of Adelle’s father, he found the job too tiresome and paid his teenage son to do it instead. He lost the last election, during which his campaign slogan was to merge the town with another, to Adelle who is now revitalizing the downtown area.
Riley
At six foot, six inches, Riley is the tallest man in town. As the town’s postal deliverer, he sees and knows more than just about anyone, and he’s the least likely person to keep a secret. Likewise, if you want to spread news, however good or bad, you’re best served giving it to Riley first.
Zeb
Ramsbolt’s oldest resident is also its most stubborn. With a beard down to his knees and a temper shorter than a matchstick, Zeb has brushed off every good piece of advice he’s ever received to save his farm. Fortunately for him, Dan and Bern are just as set in their ways.
Welcome to Ramsbolt
The Gas Station - Occasionally open for business, yet never when it’s needed. No one knows who owns it, and no one knows anyone who works there. It features a rusty awning and analog gas pumps.
The Motel - Set back from the road, the motel is a strip of a dozen rooms nestled tightly in a white building with black shutters. Each room has at least one mildewed plastic lawn chair. There’s only been one visitor in recent history. Run by a reclusive lesbian couple who purchased the motel in an online sheriff’s sale.
Helen’s Tavern - Once a diner, Helen scaled back operations over the years after economic downturns, personal tragedies and healthcare setbacks made her rethink her business plan. The only tavern in town, it’s also the only source of entertainment. Logan has worked here since the day she arrived in Ramsbolt.
The Town Park and Sailor Statue - No matter how you enter the town, you must navigate the roundabout. The circular drive skirts a grassy town park with an uneven brick walkway. A sailor statue overlooks it all, despite the town not being coastal.
The Library - The library is situated in an old house near the end of a residential street. It is the source of town meetings and children’s events. Sandy, the librarian, is the only librarian.
Jaleesa’s Garage - The only car repair shop in town, Jaleesa’s Garage is located on a residential street not far from the library.
Main Street - Though small walking alleys peel off from Main Street, the road dead-ends at the Methodist Church where all vehicular traffic must make a three-point turn to go back the way it came. Town Hall meetings frequently attempt to address the pot holes and broken town clock for which the street is known. Decades ago, consideration was given to creating a cul-de-sac to alleviate the three-point-turn traffic jams, but the placement of beloved storefronts close to the street prompted the abandonment of the plan.
The Church - Situated at the end of Main Street, the church is where town votes are tallied and townsfolk get married.
The Outdoor Store - Everything from kayaks to discount winter coats can be found at the outdoor store. Fortunately for the town plumber, the pipes above the kayak display constantly leak.
The Newsstand - Known for its elaborate seasonal window displays, the newsstand offers greeting cards, magazines, and trade paperbacks. Here, you can find the town curmudgeons complaining about potholes and the broken town clock. You’ll also find Warren, who owns many of the town’s apartments.
The Bank - Known to Logan as Ramsbolt Rumors and Lending, the staff of the town bank leak like a sieve. If you have business here, expect the whole town to know about it.
Town Hall - Too small for meetings, the town hall hasn’t been used for years.
Pharmacy - The pharmacy is only open Monday to Friday until eight in the evening, but with better hours than the town doctor, it’s often relied upon for more more intensive uses than its name suggests.
Pet Shop - Pet owners shop here for food and toys. The pet shop also rehomes feral cats and stray dogs that find their way into town.
Hardware Store - Run by Carol, the hardware store has everything imaginable - from custom paint colors to thirty types of brooms and perfectly sorted nuts and bolts. Carol offers discounts to new businesses that start up in town.
Diane’s Tea House - Diane plugged her tea rooms into an old house at the end of Main Street. Her backyard seating often hosts birthday parties, bridal showers, and other town celebrations. Her tea varieties are named for authors and classic literature.
The Market - With one register and one bag boy, the market on Main Street is the only place in town to find groceries. The same sale on sweet potatoes has been running for at least fifteen years.
Marissa’s Bakery - Coffee and bagels are always available, but it’s the cupcakes and sheep cookies that keep Ramsbolt coming back. Pink and blue walls, pastel bathrooms, and all the town’s best gossip can be had at Marissa’s display counter.
The Post Office - The six-foot-six postman passes through every doorway in town, six days a week. His reclusive co-worker accepts cash only for stamps. Just leave it at the counter and help yourself.
Sparky’s Small Engine Repair - Sparky’s shop sits at the corner of the roundabout and Ridge Avenue, where rusty lawn mowers and old generators go to die.
Nate’s Toy Store - The toy store occupies a perfectly sized building on Ridge, filled with all the best toys. Most of its customers are families passing through town on their way into Canada who stop to find distractions for agitated young travelers. Nate’s window displays are legendary.
Penny’s Loft - When Penny inherited her grandmother’s shop, it was so packed she called it a hoarding store. After paring back the inventory, Penny’s Loft took on a whole new life. Now, it’s less a place where furniture goes to die and more a source of inspiration and hope for townspeople looking for renewal. Located next to Nate’s Toy Store.
Adelle’s Flowers - For generations, the Faulkner family has sold flowers, plants, and vegetables from their farm at this storefront across from Penny’s Loft. Now in the hands of Adelle, the family farm long gone, the shop sells flowers, arrangements, and seedlings.
Kyle’s Kitchen Creations - The big draw at Ramsbolt’s newest store isn’t Kyle’s kitchenware or his cooking classes... It's the blueberry pies he makes from his grandmother’s beloved recipe.
The Ramsbolt Reader - Stuart, editor of The Ramsbolt Reader, took out a lease on a crumbling storefront where he writes and edits the weekly newspaper.
Zeb’s Farm - Located a mile from downtown, Zeb’s is the last remaining farm in town limits. He grows corn and vegetables, and resists nearly every proposal that could keep his way of life intact.