Another One Bites the Dust

Yaletown location of Book Warehouse closing

Duthie Books. Sophia Books. Children’s bookstore Once Upon a Huckleberry Bush. Ardea Books (nee Sitka Books). All of these Vancouver bookstores closed within the past two years. And now the Yaletown location of Book Warehouse will soon be added to this list.

I admit, I was never a big fan of Book Warehouse. Their deep discount model and emphasis on remainders may be wallet-friendly but always seemed out of place in the Yaletown retail scene, but I’m sad to see any bookstore closing.

Last summer, I wrote a rant about some of these bookstores’ closures, and asked the question, “What is required for an independent bookstore or comic shop to not only survive but thrive in Vancouver?” A year later, I’m no closer to an answer and my community now has no bookstore.

In my heart, I believe there’s a place for a small bookstore in Yaletown that curates content based on the interests and needs of its community. That supports new author voices as well as cherished classics. That embraces e-books as an opportunity rather than a threat, and finally figures out a way to sell them in-store as well as online. And that — mostly importantly — can exist as a viable business.