Canadian Independent Bookstore Day on April 24 celebrates the joy of booking
The 50-plus indie book shops in Metro Vancouver are a close community, note the bibliophiles at Upstart & Crow
Upstart & Crow opened on Granville Island last fall. Photo by Olivia Leigh Nowak
ONE OF THE many small joys of owning a small, independent bookstore is the very act of opening the store each day. There are the usual rituals—unlocking the door, disarming the security, lights, systems boot, a quick tidy—and then, in Ian’s case at our shop, Upstart & Crow, the joy of sweeping.
Yes, sweeping.
It is a contemplative act, a mundane but wholly satisfying exercise to take our Shaker style flat broom (purchased from our neighbour, the Granville Island Broom Company—we indie businesses stick together!), and to sweep clean our floor and our entranceway.
Some days neighbors wave hello. Customers shout that they’ll be by later. The alley wakes up slowly and then people start to arrive and join us in another edition of what might be called the joy of booking. There are myriad unglamourous parts to bookselling (ask us about inventory checks or the endless flattening of cardboard boxes), but the simple act of opening each morning brings with it a renewed sense of possibility.
All over Vancouver, different booksellers open in their own unique ways, and offer their own take on books and bookselling. Saturday is always a great day for stores and customers alike, but April 24 is special. It’s Canadian Independent Bookstore Day, and in Metro Vancouver alone there are more than 50 indie bookstores, including second-hand and specialty shops, ready to share the joy with all comers.
Ian Gill and Zoe Grams of Upstart & Crow. Photo by Olivia Leigh Nowak
What’s fun about having a day to celebrate indie bookstores is that it allows us a chance to demonstrate our pride in hand picking and curating books for different audiences and demographics, and to revel in the diversity of approaches that our independence allows. Not only that, it enables us to share with booklovers across the city just how interconnected our stores are—how much we enjoy each other’s company, and support.
What may surprise many readers is just how much we value other independent bookstores; how we’re a community of people with different aesthetics but similar ideals; how we support each other, whether through the lending of a book in a pinch, recommendations of key titles, or simply having a conversation over a glass of wine.
Iron Dog Books is an Indigenous-owned bookstore at 2671 East Hastings, which also operates a book truck.
So, to mark indie bookstore day and to return the favor to customers who value us as much as we value them, we’ve joined forces to show our appreciation.
Here is Hilary Atleo from Iron Dog Books: “We are so excited to be part of a large collaboration for Canadian Independent Bookstore Day on April 24th, We have teamed up with eight other Vancouver indie bookshops to offer a very large giveaway. Each shop has a tote bag worth over $350 stuffed with gift cards to the other participating stores, bookshop swag, and sweet, sweet gift items to give away.”
Each participating store is running the tote bag draw their own way. At Upstart & Crow, you can enter to win by joining our mailing list.
Be sure to also check out the Paper Hound Bookshop, Massy Books, Vancouver Kidsbooks, Book Warehouse Vancouver, Banyen Books and Sound, and Hager Books for how to enter their draws.
Better yet, make a day of it and visit all the indie bookshops in town. Make it a clean sweep!
Banyen Books & Sound opened on West Fourth Avenue in 1970.
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