An Ode To Independent Canadian Bookstores
By Marsha Lederman for the Globe & Mail
A customer browses at Type Books in Toronto. In 2023, independent bookstore sales, tracked by BookNet Canada, made up 11.3 percent of print-book sales in Canada.
Photo credit Fred Lum/Globe & Mail
It's the easiest thing. I do it too, sometimes, guilt dripping from my fingers.
Need something? Need it by tomorrow? Click and it'll be at your doorstep and in your hands the next day (porch pirate possibilities notwithstanding).
Amazon started as an online marketplace for books. And then it expanded to – and changed – everything. But convenience aside, the changes weren't necessarily for the better. Just ask the many retail operations that have found it impossible to compete.
Originally called Cadabra, after "abracadabra," Amazon's founders changed the name because some found the reference too obscure. (Also, it was sometimes misheard as "cadaver.") As the story goes, Jeff Bezos flipped through the A section of the dictionary and arrived at the world's largest river (by discharge volume), and decided, yes, that would be a good name for his online bookstore. A river of books, floating out to readers around the world.
Today when you hear "Amazon," the online behemoth probably comes to mind before the tropical rainforest does, or its grand, nearly continent-spanning river. Sigh.
Want some real magic? Might I suggest a place of abundance that offers the experience of leafing through actual books and strolling down shelf-lined aisles, rather than having your fingers do the walking (ancient pre-internet reference, kids, to something we elders called ‘The Yellow Pages.’)
Rather than trust the algorithmic river of e-commerce with aiding the purchase of your next book (along with perhaps some kitty litter and baby wipes), you can visit a place that is devoted to literature, with dedicated, IRL staff who make suggestions based on actual knowledge and experience, rather than a programmed computer formula. Magical.
April 27 is Canadian Independent Bookstore Day – a marketing exercise with heart from the Canadian Independent Booksellers Association (CIBA).
Independent bookstores have faced untold challenges over the years, even before rents and inflation shot through the roof. There was the rise of big box stores (in Canada: Chapters, now Indigo), the advent of e-books, and of course the ubiquity and ease of Amazon. We have lost some of the greats over recent years – Nicholas Hoare in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa; Duthie Books in Vancouver (sob).
But we've gained new ones too. Type Books in Toronto, for instance, which opened its first store in 2006. Flying Books opened its Toronto permanent location (it started as a pop-up) in late 2021.
And some of the best are still with us, including Munro's (my favourite bookstore on the planet, so far) in Victoria; and McNally Robinson in Winnipeg and Saskatoon.
To misquote Mark Twain, the death of the indie bookstore has been greatly exaggerated.
CIBA, formed in 2020, has more than 160 bookseller members representing nearly 180 stores. In 2023, independent bookstore sales, tracked by BookNet Canada, made up 11.3 per cent of print-book sales in Canada – up 7.5 per cent over 2022.
If you love books, or even just like them (or love someone who does), there is nothing like browsing through a bookstore. You will find things the algorithm might never serve up to you. So many possibilities on those shelves – history to learn, dishes to cook, escapes from reality to take.
When I travel, I love visiting indie bookshops. They almost always have a "local interest" shelf, which can give you a sense of the community. Over the past year or so, I've been enchanted by Polar Peek Books in Fernie, B.C.; King W. Books in Hamilton; Words Worth Books in Waterloo, Ont.; and the Bookshelf in Guelph, Ont., (which also houses an indie cinema – so great).
Indie Bookstore Day is more than just a feel-good event (although there are many good feels involved); it also generates a significant amount of revenue. Last year, participating bookstores reported a 75-per-cent increase in sales on that day over previous and following Saturdays, according to CIBA's annual report. In Calgary, tickets to a collaborative indie book crawl being offered this year sold out in one minute.
Pop into an indie bookstore on Saturday and you might encounter a real live Canadian author behind the cash, ringing in your purchase. Nita Prose, bestselling author of The Maid and The Mystery Guest, and children's author Ruth Ohi are among the 25 who will appear at Blue Heron Books in Uxbridge, Ont., for instance.
Independent bookstores are devoted to Canadian authors, and not just as celebrity cashiers one day a year. They often go out of their way to prominently display and recommend works by local and Canadian authors. And those writers need the support. According to BookNet, books by Canadians made up only 12 percent of print-book sales in Canada last year.
We need Canadian authors and we need independent bookstores. No more cadavers, please.
So, what are you doing on Saturday?
(Special Thanks to longtime Words Worth customer S.R. for sending us the article!)