Our year began in the frigid temperatures of Eastern Ontario where, braving roadside Tim Horton’s coffee and ennui, we picked up what would be our FIRST school bus. This was to be our bookmobile, but circumstances both practical and supernatural prevented it from becoming the trusty retail machine we needed it to be. Still, above is a lovely snap of the original old girl pulling onto a freezing parking lot, safetied and hugged for comfort.
Soon after, we visited Museum London to see our Stay Safe signs on display. These graffitied plywood sheets protected our windows when downtown was abandoned in the spring/summer of 2020. Robin Pero at Grow & Bloom got an artists to paint them, and they become visual landmarks of what was happening in our community during the pandemic. Here was part of our shop’s history, displayed as bonafide local artifacts. It was bittersweet to see these reminders of an awful time, and colourful symbols of hope, hanging on the wall in our museum.
The addition of an office in Blackfriars in early 2023 was heartily appreciated by these two rascals as quiet and nap time became even more available after the hard efforts of downtown retail life. Note the recently eviscerated toy on the right. Their new office-mate, John Fyfe-Millar, was exceptionally kind and he became one of their dear friends. He made several vain attempts to get Cooper not to pee on the floor, but learned just like we did, that little dog is cute, but so so so so stupid. John was the perfect office mate. We missed the co-work of 121 Studios, and this was a really wonderful return to a shared, creative, collaborative workspace.
And even while things became more challenging, our little shop downtown was still host to events, gatherings and the meeting of minds.
Late that winter, we announced that we were closing our shop and told the world that we were pivoting to a mobile bookstore. A BOOKMOBILE!!! It was the kind of idea that is almost completely irresponsible, but that has never deterred us one bit.
Closing our shop was easily one of the hardest things we ever did. Both of us had our hearts in that place pretty deep, but what can you do? It’s a free market after all and the market changed COMPLETELY. Here we are above trying to act effortless on the last day the downtown bookstore was open. Fortunately, many folks we absolutely love came by to say hello to us and good-bye to a place that honestly was fucking magic. Those last days were heartbreaking, but as Mr. Rogers said, look for the helpers, and boy, were there helpers, from those who stepped up to work for us part time, to those who volunteered to slug boxes and rip down fixtures and pile things into our new office.
On our final day in the old space, one of those helpers found a dog wandering around alone on Albert Street. We took it into the shop and just hung out with it (having LOADS of moving to still do) but that little thing sure seemed fated to find us. With a phone call to LACC and a scan of pupper’s microchip, the anxious owner was found, and we were very grateful for one last providential moment in the shop on Richmond–a distraction from what was a very sad farewell.
Oh and did we also mention that we were pregnant? Jason was not pregnant but he WAS the father and we announced Gary’s birth on Instagram in a post that sincerely way TOO MANY people believed. We thought our customer base was smarter than that, but again, WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Lenore Grace Dickson was born on April 27, 2023, and although we’ve been hesitant to share any photos of her (as the poor thing might not want images of herself on the internet when she grows up), we will share this pic to show you what a complete goof she is and how deeply loved she is too. She joined us as we spent weeks driving to and from Waterdown, Ontario getting our new bookmobile ready to hit the road.
That’s because, despite us having a bus, we needed so much more from our bookmobile, so we had to refit ANOTHER school bus with all the things we needed to sell books on the road.
Building and filling the interior reminded us of the old adage that half of a bookseller’s life is simply moving things from Point A to Point B.
RUSH appropriately played on the radio the moment we neared London with our completed bookmobile. Lenore slept in the baby seat we had installed for her. We were excited and nervous, and hoping that we made the right decision. We’re happy to say that we absolutely did.
After a mad dash back to London on June 30th, breaking one or two highway laws (kidding?), we crazily prepared the stock and decorations into the night so we could debut the bookmobile on July 1st at Historic Woodfield’s Variety Cafe! Above is a shot of Jason taking his first “sit-down” after A LOT of full days prepping the bookmobile.
Our summer was spent driving around all of Ontario with regular London stops as well. Locomotive Espresso, Odyssey Records, and the Variety Cafe were often where you could find us. We also exhibited at what we didn’t know was the last (maybe?) Home County Festival — three magical days in Victoria Park. We’re so glad we got to take the bus there and that our final year was as memorable as any we’ve had.
The bookmobile was spotted all over southern Ontario, from Lion’s Head to St. Jacobs. Above is a snap from the Hamilton Art Crawl, where our bus was overwhelmed with eager arties. We sold books beneath the pines at Grand Bend. We sold books near the river at Eden Mills. Our bus often had a line-up of people wanted to get inside, which was downright exciting for us.
We met a lot of new faces this summer. Being mobile meant we could reach folks that were unreachable before. There’s something about a bus that welcomes most everyone. We made lots of friends in the suburbs of our city, as well as friends at markets province-wide. Instead of waiting for people to come to us, we went to them. It was a big hit.
Seriously, our bus was often busier than our old store–at least, the LAST YEAR of our old store. Here we are on Dundas Place at Vintage on the Block. There’s something special about the open sky, public life and books beneath twinkle lights. While brick and mortar retail might be going the way of the Dodo bird, markets and festivals seem to be the new lifeblood of community. It’s a new way of doing things, and we’re enjoying every minute of it.
A friend once said they we believe in “art as commons,” and he was right. We’ve always bucked against the idea of bookshops as places of high living, moral superiority, and cultural classism. We may be snobs ourselves, but our bookshop was, remains, and will remain a place that welcomes anyone who loves books and book culture.
So from us, the kids (Jack, Sam, and Lenore), and the dogs (Snackers and Cooper), we thank you all for keeping up with us. All sorts of great things are planned for the future.
And, if you can, please do take a look at our Christmas list. There’s some great stuff there. Whether you are buying for someone you love, someone you don’t particularly like (but must give something to), or selfishly sneaking something for yourself, we’re confident there’s at least one book on the list for you. We’re happy to deliver it to your home in our big blue bus, in time for your holiday celebrations.
Much love,
Jason and Vanessa
