The Importance of Indie Bookshops - theHumm November 2020

By — John Pigeau

A friend of mine once told me that in her favourite, most enchanting dream, she’s trapped in a small charming bookstore overnight. So what does she do? After she screams into her hands with sheer joy, she kicks off her shoes and excitedly pokes about, gathering an armload of wonderful books. Then she parks it in a big comfy chair, drapes the owner’s left-behind cardigan over her shoulders, smiles to herself at her absolutely brilliant fortune, and then finally, blissfully, opens the first book to the first page and begins reading. It all feels like pure heaven, she’s assured me. Because there’s coffee too.

Many booklovers have doubtlessly shared a similar daydream or fantasy. Indie bookshops are often the bright heart in the core of any downtown. We are attracted to them for the books, of course — offering us enthralling entertainment, captivating stories, and endless knowledge, history, creativity and imagination. But there’s much more to these enticing cultural treasures than the written word.

Independent bookshops foster community.

Leslie Wallack, owner of Perth’s The Book Nook & Other Treasures, has seen that firsthand pretty much every day since she opened her shop in 2007. “Many locals run into each other,” she says, “and I hear them excitedly catching up. And what I love the most is when we the salespeople and separate customers get into a group conversation, comparing or recommending different reading. It certainly is a sense of community.”

For instance, she adds, “one book often sparks a great conversation. I often find myself laughing with a new customer, or talking politics with regulars. It all seems to happen naturally, as if we are friends of a feather.”

Most every indie bookshop — including The Book Nook — hosts book launches, promotes the work of local authors, puts up posters publicizing local events, and contributes prizes for local fundraisers. Indie bookshops give back. Not all of those benefits are tangible.

This year has been very difficult for many small businesses, including bookshops. It seems a vital time to remember the importance and the benefits of shopping locally at independent stores like Leslie’s shop, Mill Street Books in Almonte, and Arlie’s Books in Smiths Falls.

“Keeping in mind that Perth’s independent stores are owned and staffed by our friends, neighbours and fellow citizens,” Leslie says, “shopping locally keeps our town more than surviving, it keeps Perth thriving! We are a few months away from the natural down time of retail, and count on Christmas sales to carry us through those months. Our stores have been keenly preparing and stocking up to offer more, to make it convenient for locals. We have hope and faith in our town. I’ve heard from many tourists how impressed they are at our stores’ ability to seriously keep up safety protocols yet still provide a personalized service. Local shoppers know us, trust us, and depend on us. When you leave our stores, you know you have that gift on time, in your hands, and you got exactly what you wanted. How does it get any better?”

It quite likely doesn’t, I would submit. Small shop owners truly appreciate every person who walks through their doors. And not to earn massive profits, no, not like the impersonal online behemoths. But because they care. They enjoy what they do, and they’re passionate about it.

Leslie certainly is. “Simply put,” she says, “I love what I do, I look forward to a work day. I feel blessed that I can earn a living doing something that interests and engages me. And it truly inspires me to see a bookstore inspire so many others. I’ve also been consistently surprised over 13 years by the diversity of customers and what they read. It keeps me on my toes!”

Like every other small shop owner, Leslie had to adapt when the country went into lockdown in March. “When the shutdown happened, many locals reached out to me,” she says. “They needed boredom-busters.”

So Leslie took a leap of faith and hired Crummy Media, a local business, to set up a website for The Book Nook. She began offering curbside pickup or local delivery. “I don’t have the entire store online,” she says, “but our website has a great rotating selection to conveniently service the local area.”

When she re-opened, she switched up her hours a bit, with customer safety and cleaning the store in mind. Now her shop is open Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 11am to 4pm, and Sundays from 11am to 3pm. “Sometimes you can catch us on Wednesdays as well,” she adds, “but call to make sure. Wednesday is our deep cleaning and local delivery day.”

Leslie says folks are pleased with the store’s online presence, too. “Our new website is a big hit. Shop from the comfort of home.”

Besides selling books, The Book Nook & Other Treasures (“Where imagination and creativity meet!”) offers a variety of arts and crafts, puzzle and games, and other delightful gifts.

“Thirteen years of listening to locals inspired me to make sure I offer one-stop shopping,” Leslie says. “I carefully chose to add the words “& Other Treasures” to my store name, allowing me to hear the needs of my customers. A good book is entertaining and/or informative, yet it’s also imaginative and creative. This allows me to add other items that fit nicely into these categories. Young and old, we try to engage the full mind with what we offer.” You can see a good sample of those on her website at thebooknookperth.com .

Leslie has a few books to recommend for gift-giving this holiday season. “From Jane Austen to George Orwell,” she says, readers are reacquainting themselves with classics. Classics are “trending in a big way,” and she would definitely recommend them as gifts.

“Cookbooks, old and new, are a great way to keep things fresh,” she says. “Jamie Oliver’s 7 Ways is a new release and easy to follow.” She also recommends Margaret MacMillan’s newest nonfiction release War: How Conflict Shaped Us, and Catherine Bush’s page-turner novel Blaze Island. “Award-winning local author Tim Wynne-Jones has a new release: War at the Snow White Motel and Other Stories. There are definitely too many great reads to list!”

Showing the Local Love for the Holidays! - theHumm November 2020

By Kris and Rob Riendeau

Here at theHumm we’re big on local economies. The retail and service businesses in the small towns that we cover play a huge role in the cultural life of those towns. Each store, restaurant, or small enterprise attracts and serves a particular clientele — some inside the community, some from outside. Some businesses host their own special events; others join together with local festivals to make the whole experience more vibrant. Many provide support in cash or in kind to local initiatives. ......

The Importance of Indie Bookshops - theHumm November 2020