We love seeing our local businesses thrive, especially during such a weird time.

It's been a tough few months for small businesses around the Hudson Valley thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic. If there's ever a time to use our voices to help small businesses in the Hudson Valley, it's now.

That's exactly what actress Hilarie Burton Morgan did.

As most of us here in the Hudson Valley know, Hilarie and her husband, fellow actor, Jeffery Dean Morgan live in Dutchess County and they own the super popular Samuels Sweet Shop in Rhinebeck.

Hilarie and her family were hard at work when the pandemic hit, making masks for the medical staff around the Hudson Valley and the U.S. She was also in the process of releasing her first-ever book called The Rural Diaries.

In the book, Burton-Morgan tells her story of leaving Hollywood for the Hudson Valley.

During an interview with the New York Times, Burton-Morgan said that she urged her fans and followers to buy her book from Oblong Books, which is a local books store with locations in Rhinebeck and Millerton.

Burton-Morgan told the Times:

“I had agreed to sign 1,000 books for Oblong and they sold out quickly in pre-orders. I said, I’ll do another 1,000 and those sold out quickly too. And then I said, ‘Look, as long as you keep selling books, I’ll sign every single one of them because it’s keeping your lights on at a time when no one can come in and shop.’ Oblong became the epicenter of ‘The Rural Diaries.’ They’ve been shipping books all over the world.”

Oblong Books co-owner Suzanna Hermans said by the end of May they had sold 7,355 of Burton-Morgan's book.

It looks like keeping our local businesses thriving is a pattern in the Morgan household. There are reports that Jeffery Dean Morgan will be signing pre-ordered copies of the latest Walking Dead Comic "Negan Lives" from MegaBrain Comics and Arcade in Rhinebeck. 

The Rural Diaries and Negal Lives are both on sale now.

The Rural Diaries landed at #5 on the New York Times Best Sellers list.

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