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One of Edmonton’s deepest cultural assets is our bookseller ecosystem, mixing affordable commerce with the wisdom of eternity in dozens of invigorating gathering spots around town, reading (which you’re happily taking the time to do right now) being the ultimate take-a-breath antidote to, say, doomscrolling.
Long overdue and already in its third year, the chipperly-named Edmonton Indie Bookstore Extravaganza kicks off Saturday, a celebratory welcome mat reminding us of how lucky we are to have such a wide assortment of used and new shops here, from Ritchie’s forward-looking Magpie Books to the legendary downtown landmark Audreys, with every delightfully chaotic Wee Book Inn between.
No less than 16 print media sellers are participating in the Saturday-Sunday event – including two pop-ups at super-friendly, stadium-adjacent Felice Cafe – and the more of them you visit and have your special passport stamped, the better chance you have to win book-related prize packages and gift cards.
Also: prepare to meet some shop cats! (OK, and the odd dog – and local author – too.)
What’s more, as the weather unleashes what’s bound to be one of final elevator burps of winter as we truly head into spring, there’s even two free charter ETS shuttles servicing the north and south side constellations of browser shops.
Think of it as a perfect little self-directed vacation at home, all free, of course.
The event is part of a wider national celebration of Canadian Independent Bookstore Day, PS.
Co-owner of live music, poetry and damn-good-coffee hotspot Paper Birch Books down the road from the OG Italian Centre on 95 Street, Céline Chuang is one of the event’s founders, as well as its snappy passport designer.
Measured by passports yoinked, year one saw around 1000 book enthusiasts wander through most of the stores, with more than double that last year, “so I think 2000 is a very safe low estimate,” she says, considering families are coming through sharing passports, while not everyone is getting stamped.
To put it in perspective and including the holiday runup, says Chuang, “I believe every bookstore that participated said Indie Bookstore Extravaganza Saturday – the bigger of the two days – is their busiest day they’ve ever had.”
Many of the stores (check online) are open for extended hours and ponying up various deals and bonuses – the delightful Porch Light Books at 9867-89 Ave., for example, offering Made By Marcus free scoop cards to the first 100 customers and a $20 gift card to every 20th customer.
In St. Albert, the rare-edition, father-and-daughter-owned gold mine Bailey Books at 29-B Rowland Crescent is bringing in separate food trucks Saturday and Sunday, while Extravaganza-conceiver Audreys at 10702 Jasper Ave. is hiding a golden ticket in the store Saturday worth a year of free audiobooks.
As far as Paper Birch at 10825 95 St. goes, the shop is reorganizing for the expected churn.
“Because we’re such a small space,” says Chuang, “we have to think about just management of the sheer volume of people and how to still make it fun, while allowing people access to the books. So we plan to take out all of our seating indoors and have more of a patio set up outside so people can hang out outside.
“We also think a lot about, for folks coming that day, they’re so enthusiastic and passionate about indie bookstores and supporting them, and a lot of people will try to buy at least one thing from each bookstore.
“I think a lot of people will try to buy things that are on the lower end, not springing a lot of money on a rare book that day. Because of that, we like to think, people want to find a treasure for a good price, so we prep a lot of $5 books, way more than we normally have, and try to have at least two massive tables for people to rifle through and enjoy the hunt a little bit.”
Flipside BBQ – one of Chuang’s favourites – will also be stationed in the parking lot.
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You can – and please do – find location details and what everyone’s up to at yegindiebookstores.ca , complete with little bios and curatorial bents, like the fact Variant Edition at 10086 164 St. won most outstanding comic shop in Canada in 2019.
I get a little mushy talking to Chuang about the city’s bookstores, and as an enthusiastic customer herself, she talks about it as more than just a seller, part of a liminal family also known as community.
“I think that’s a special, kind of invaluable part of independent bookstores, and small local businesses more broadly,” she muses, “is that they really are these third spaces for people to feel seen and known.
“People aren’t really grounded in place and neighbourhood as much as maybe they used to be. But I think independent businesses really add to the feeling of being grounded and belonging in a particular place.
“And that doesn’t mean it has to be in your neighbourhood,” she says. “But it’s a place that is familiar to you, and therefore it’s kind of like an anchor point for your regular life.
“And then the booksellers, the people that work there, they’re really part of your life in a way.
“It’s kind of weird to say it’s like family. But they’re kind of fixtures in your life in a way that I think adds to and enriches it.
“So I think that really adds to a feeling of, yeah, being known – of safety really. That’s really I think what defines what safety and community is, is to kind of be known and know others.
“And so all of that is kind of wrapped up into the work of what we’re trying to do,” says Chuang of the city-wandering event.
“And hopefully I think indie bookstores generally speaking as well.”
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