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Pulling up stakes at a store that took years to establish can be danuting. These three indies lived to tell the tale
BY RAIZEL ROBIN
ILLUSTRATION BY KYLE METCALF
Mega booksellers, whether online or brick-and-mortar, dominate the literary retail landscape. Though independents have a loyal customer base, they’re still vulnerable to upheaval, such as changing demographics, rising rents, or construction. For some, this can mean relocation – not an appealing prospect when your store is entrenched in its neighborhood.
When the owners of Kidsbooks, a children’s bookstore in Vancouver, learned the building that had housed its flagship store for more than 20 years was going to be demolished, founder Phyllis Simon and co-owner Kelly McKinnon were deeply concerned. “We said, Uh-oh, we’d better figure out what we’re going to do. Should we close the location? Look for another place to rent?”
The prospect of relocating Kidsbooks seemed daunting, not only because of the logistical headache of moving an inventory of 90,000 books into a new space, but also because of the cost. “We knew it was going to be expensive to move, renovate, and build,” says Simon, adding that despite their landlord giving them a year and a half’s notice, they still had to take out a bank loan to help finance the relocation.