Tag: Bookstore

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Opinions

Rise and fall of the corporate bookstore

Encore Books & Records, 5670 Sherbrooke St W // Photo by Emma Wallace

As bookstore chains go under, let’s dust indie alternatives off the shelves.

Bookstores have always been my favourite places on earth. Every shop has something different to offer, whether that be ancient annotated paperbacks, rows of pristine colour-coordinated hardcovers, stray cats in the window, or a piano in the back. Where small businesses may lack stock or organization, they make up for it with charm and personality. But when local bookshops and big chains are forced to battle it out, who will ultimately win?  

The answer may surprise you. Since the early 2000s, it has seemed like independent bookstores are racing toward extinction with the rising popularity of online shopping and the prevalence of chains such as Indigo. In recent years, however, there is a growth trend in favour of independent bookstores. Interestingly, it’s the big names that are struggling: Indigo lost $50 million last year following cyber-attack issues, and the company appears to be falling apart as their management struggles to regain control. 

In comparison, independent booksellers across Canada have reported booming sales as readers flock to their doors in search of something more. These bookstores give readers that extra something: a sense of community. Walking into a small shop is more personal and deliberate, as it forces you to confront the humanness of everyone sharing the space, and you feel obliged to take real care when handling the books. Supporting these businesses is essential to ensure they stay with us for many years.

The Word, located within walking distance of McGill, is one example of a local bookstore to enjoy. The space is vividly personal with its pleasantly cramped interior and impressive turnover of over a hundred new titles each day. “I think what’s good about these kinds of stores, but even more with bookstores is that when you walk in, there’s a sense of passion,” said Scott Moodie, who has been working at The Word for the past 32 years.

Luckily, you can find this passion everywhere in Montréal bookstores. Here are a few of my favourites, and what makes them so special: 

Drawn & Quarterly: A familiar favourite, this bookshop specializes in graphic novels and hosts frequent readings. I love it for its bright decor and open feel. 

Encore Books & Records: My go-to! It’s a bit out of the way, but so worth it. The bright blue exterior will immediately pull you in, and you won’t escape–it’s hard to pull away from the rooms of books and fun record collection. 

Phoenix Books: If you’re at Encore, might as well check out Phoenix just down the road! The space is small but uncluttered, and they often host performances. The owner is super kind and always willing to help you find a book. 

Librairie Henri Julien: A funky little gem, this one satisfies your need for organized chaos with teetering stacks of books and colourful murals. 

Though chain bookstores have their advantages, in my mind the small dusty bookstores will always win. All Indigos are the same, but each small bookstore is different—you never know what treasures you’ll find.

Categories
News

Concordia bookstore prepares for textbook delays in the next semester

Book shortages at Concordia's Book Stop.

Due to supply chain delays some textbooks will arrive late

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the global supply chain, causing a global book shortage.

The supply chain issue began with a paper shortage triggered by the high demand for wood pulp that is used to make paper. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of wood pulp has gone up 49.4 per cent over the past year, and the cost of paper has gone up 16.4 per cent.

A report from the printing company Sheridan states the price of wood pulp rose from $700–$750 per metric ton in 2020 to almost $1,200 per metric ton in 2021.

A lumber shortage caused delays in obtaining materials to make paper, which led to a price increase. The paper and labour shortages in warehouses caused more problems for the printing industry and further delayed the production of books and shipping. These problems contributed to textbook delays in universities and colleges around Canada for the fall semester. 

“This was definitely not a shock or surprise to anyone,” said Rachel Rainville, Concordia bookstore manager at the downtown Book Stop. “We knew it was coming and we just prepared ourselves and I think we were prepared really well there.”

Rainville says there weren’t many shortages at the store. The Concordia bookstores used different vendors and shared stock between locations to ensure that students had access to their textbooks.

“I just made sure to have enough books for everyone. We knew it’s gonna take a while for these books to come in. So we made sure to order for everyone.”

Though some books were delayed, digital books offered a solution.

“That’s been a great support from the publishers digitizing their books and making sure that the materials are always available. So we’re seeing more of a shift to rental and digital sales.”

Among the students who chose to purchase digital books, Camila Caridad Rivas, a third-year journalism student, purchased the digital version of her textbook after an employee told her the book was no longer printed, and she should look elsewhere for a digital copy.

“I looked into it and found the digital book, but it was shocking. What if there hadn’t been an ebook version of an essential textbook I needed? I’m just glad that wasn’t my case,” Rivas explained.

Though the Concordia bookstore did not face many major issues in receiving textbooks, Rainville is confident all students will get their textbooks in time next semester. The staff is already asking professors for their book lists, and they’re starting to place orders earlier than usual to anticipate any delays.

“We always encourage rental as well because rental, you know, really helps the students save money and then they just bring the book back to us, so we still have that book,” Rainville suggested.

 

Photograph by Catherine Reynolds

Categories
Arts

Argo Bookshop re-emerges from the choppy waters of COVID-19

How one bookstore adapted to survive the pandemic

Argo Bookshop, Montreal’s oldest English-language bookstore, is returning to business and reaching readers in novel ways as Quebec’s lockdown eases.

After teaching linguistics at Concordia University and managing a successful YouTube channel, The Ling Space, New Jersey-born Moti Lieberman, together with co-owner Adèle-Elise Prévost, made the decision to acquire the bookstore from the previous owner in 2017.

Located on Ste-Catherine Street in the Shaughnessy Village, Argo, which opened its doors for the first time in 1966, was ordered to close on Mar. 23 like all other non-essential businesses in Quebec. The lockdown has since eased, and Argo is adapting to the evolving situation.

“We thought we could continue to serve as an anchor for the literary community,” said Lieberman. “Bookstores are really important features of communities, and without one I think this area would be impoverished.”

Argo specializes in books on linguistics, Japanese literature and books authored by LGBTQ writers.

“Diversity became a watchword for us,” said Lieberman. “Whoever you are, you can come in and see yourself reflected in the books that we are selling because we think it should be an inclusive and welcoming space. That’s really what we view the mission of the store to be.

“Our business model before [COVID-19] was really focused on the local community,” Lieberman added. Allowing customers to “come in and discover stuff which they wouldn’t necessarily have run into before is not possible now.”

In response to the pandemic, the bookshop offers its clients deliveries and curbside pick-ups.

“We had to really retool the way the business works,” Lieberman explained. “We had to cancel all in-store events for the year. We had a lot of stuff that had been planned for the summer, which was in a way the hardest thing for me.”

Instead of giving up on events altogether, Argo has been hosting readings, book clubs, and virtual author visits via Zoom for the past few months.

“In a way, we’ve expanded some of the people that we work with,” said Lieberman. “The vibe isn’t the same as having everyone in a room together and building an atmosphere that way together, but I think some of these events we wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise, like the one where we invited people from around the world.”

While the owners have found creative ways of reaching readers, Lieberman misses the store as it used to be.

“The thing that I miss most is the ability to just talk with people about books and about topics and authors that they’re really passionate about,” said Lieberman. “The way we have to do things currently is definitely a step down, but we felt that it was important that we would give people activities to do during the period where lockdown was happening so we actually extended our event range a bit.”

Argo is taking precautions to ensure the security of its clients, including regular handwashing, installing plexiglass screens by the cash register, and requiring the use of masks and hand sanitizer. The store is also implementing other measures like limiting the store’s capacity and discouraging browsing clients from handling books.

Despite the bookstore’s challenges, Argo’s delivery service has allowed it to reach new customers, especially in the months of April and May.

“A lot of people found us during that time who I don’t think were familiar with the store already,” he said.

Business has stabilized after a rocky start to the lockdown.

“I don’t want to say that we’re out of the woods,” Lieberman said. “But the support from the community and people who have been going out of their way to order stuff from us because they wanted us to continue being here… we’re really overwhelmed by it emotionally.”

What are Argo’s plans for the future?

“If we can make it through this, we would like to continue doing the sort of stuff we had been doing before and maybe get back to some of the initiatives for bringing in authors,” Lieberman said. “But so much is up in the air.”

For more information about events, visit Argo Bookshop at 1915 Ste-Catherine St W. or https://www.argobookshop.ca/.

 

Photo by Kit Mergeart

Categories
Student Life

Printers from hell

Graphic by @spooky_soda.

How to ensure printing an assignment doesn’t hold up your day

Assignment deadlines are the worst, but not only for the obvious reasons. Writing the assignment is one task, but the hassle of having to use Concordia’s printing stations after all of that hard work makes due dates so much more stressful. This is how my day usually goes when I have papers to print and submit:

The bus arrives 15 minutes late, it’s pouring rain, and the printer is out of ink. There’s now all of 10 minutes to get it done and get to class. But hey! Ten minutes to print a mere two pages is plenty of time, right? Think again.

“I never rely on the printers,” said Stephanie Ricci, a second-year journalism student at Concordia. “I just print at home and avoid the risk.” This is a nice alternative, and you can spend about $40 on a half-decent printer at the Concordia Bookstore and most other tech stores. But for those of us who haven’t invested in this, what choice do we have?

“If you’re counting on printing here, just make sure you come really early,” said Catherine Hansen, a student at Concordia. Aiming to arrive at least 30 minutes before your lecture starts is essential. Here’s why: the nearest two printers will likely have four people in line waiting to use them; the other three printers either have paper jams, are out of ink, or both. There’s always that one person who randomly pushes all the buttons and takes forever. There’s also the chance that there will be an  issue sending your file through the server.

“I tried printing here a few times and the printers were always out of order,” said Camille Perrin-Ridgway, a journalism student at Concordia. This is another possible outcome when trying to print on campus. When this happens, you honestly have no choice but to go find another printing station.

If, somehow, everything goes smoothly up until you have to swipe your student ID card, you’ll realize you haven’t loaded money on to it. Oh, you also don’t have any cash on you. Realistically, you must account for all of the above.

On the Loyola campus, there are printing stations on all floors of the Vanier Library. You can also print through the bookstores on both campuses, and in the LB building on the Sir George Williams campus, there are printing stations on the second to fifth floors.

All this to say, never assume printing at Concordia will be easy. Like, ever.

Feature graphic by @spooky_soda.

Categories
Student Life

A space for feminists and books

L’Euguélionne opened its doors in the Gay Village in December 2016. Photo by Catherine Hansen. 
Article by Catherine Hansen and Olivia Burwell

L’Euguélionne bookstore advocates for the feminist community in Montreal

As soon as you step foot in L’Euguélionne, it feels like home. This feminist bookstore, in the heart of the Gay Village, is a well-lit, colourful space with clean decor. In business since December 2016, L’Euguélionne is the first bookstore to strongly advocate for the feminist community in Montreal since the 1970s.

Specializing in women’s literature, L’Euguélionne also offers books aimed at diverse identities, from queer and anti-racist to asexual, two-spirited and anti-colonial. The bookstore often organizes a variety of literary and feminist events, such as the book launch of Ciel by Sophie Labelle held on Feb. 8. A few days later, the bookstore hosted the play Black Boys, which explores identities of queer black men.

“I decided to partake in the feminist movement because of [many] experiences in my life. It kind of came naturally,” said Stéphanie Dufresne, a graduate from Concordia’s women’s studies program. She co-founded L’Euguélionne alongside Nicolas Longtin-Martel, Sandrine Bourget-Lapointe, Camille Toffoli, Karine Rosso and Marie-Ève Blais.

This Montreal bookstore strongly advocates for the city’s feminist community. Photo by Catherine Hansen.

“Slowly, with [reading about feminism] and talking with people who had a feminist lens, it made me make sense of my reality,” she said. “It made sense to be a part of this movement.’’ Dufresne said she did not have a feminist upbringing, and so it was not always clear to her how she could participate in the feminist movement. “It’s not a clearly defined movement. There are so many ways to be a feminist, and some of those ways are incompatible,” she explained. “I would disagree with many of the reasons why some people are feminists, but no one is the authoritative figure to police anyone for their reasoning.”

Dufresne said she believes it is healthy to have debates and discussions about feminism, because it isn’t a stagnant movement. “I think everyone who calls [themself] a feminist knows what it means for them, and that is enough,” she said. “But it is healthy to engage in debate with other people.”

According to Dufresne, by critiquing definitions of feminism and listening to diverse voices, the movement can grow in strength and popularity. “If [feminism] becomes a shared understanding, that is what makes it a movement and not just a personal belief,” she said.

The founders of L’Euguélionne organize events in support of feminism regularly to increase knowledge about the movement in the Montreal community, particularly among younger generations. “If young girls grow up in a world where saying you’re a feminist is trendy, even though it might be superficial at first, it is better than growing up in a world where feminism is looked down upon,” Dufresne said. She encourages young women to learn more about feminism, whether that’s by reading feminist blogs or books by authors like Roxane Gay. “We need knowledge to properly fight this battle,” Dufresne said.

L’Euguélionne is located at 1426 Beaudry St. It’s next event will be a panel discussion for the launch of a book concerning research on LGBT families, held on Feb. 28 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Entry is free.

Feature photo by Catherine Hansen

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