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Field Trip: Celebrating Canadian Independent Bookstores

To celebrate Canadian Independent Bookstore Day, this edition of Field Trip is a love letter to the incredible variety of Canadian indie booksellers. Today, we look back on some of the wonderful bookstores visited by our very own Laura Rock Gaughan.

A selfie of Laura Rock Gaughan, a light-skin-toned woman with short blonde hair and large black-rimmed glasses. She is in front of Munro's Books in Victoria, British Columbia.

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While I didn’t specifically set out to tour indie bookstores, the heart wants what it wants, as they say. When travelling for work or pleasure, a bookish person must make time for the local bookstore. My happy trails led me to stellar indies in BC and Alberta this past year, in addition to those closer to my home in Ontario. (And yes, I bought way more books than I meant to.)

Each store is a gem with distinct curation–every reader will find surprises–and each offers its community creative extras, from vibrant book and magazine launches to film screening and concerts, to food, to knitting supplies.

On CIBD and all year long, please join me in saluting our indie booksellers. We thank them all, across the country, for the hard work and care they put into helping readers find beautiful, life-changing books. I hope to visit even more stores in the months to come. 


A photo from the entrance of Mosaic Books in Kelowna, BC looking into the store. The store has hardwood floors and several rows of bookshelves with books on them, as well as greeting cards on one side of the store, and a statue of a person holding a large stack of books at the front.
Mosaic Books in Kelowna, BC
A photo of the interior of Munro's Books in Victoria, BC. The store features high coffered ceilings, stained glass, and artwork along the walls. There are bookshelves along the walls as well as down the centre of the store.
Munro’s Books in Victoria, BC
A photo of the front window of Shelf Life Books in Calgary, Alberta taken on a slight angle. There is an open sign on the window and a book display.
The storefront at Shelf Life Books in Calgary, AB
A photo taken at Blue Heron Books in Uxbridge, Ontario during a book launch. Three women sit behind a desk engaged in conversation.
A book launch at Blue Heron Books in Uxbridge, ON featuring Molly Peacock, Hollay Ghadery, and Cece Scott (L-R)
A photo inside Cedar Canoe Books in Huntsville, Ontario. The photo shows a wooden bookshelf secured to a wall with black steel pipes. There are several books displayed on the shelf with a sign above reading Indie Publishers. There are two paintings of nature scenes on the wall beside the shelf.
Cedar Canoe Books in Huntsville, ON
A photo of the interior space at Flying Books in Toronto, Ontario. There is a wall of books with a sign above reading Indie Presses. There are a couple of people browsing.
Flying Books in Toronto, ON
A photo of a light-skin-toned woman with short brown hair and black-rimmed glasses. She is standing behind the counter at Happenstance Books and Yarns. Behind her are an array of knitting needles and tools and a bookshelf with books.
Owner Susan Twist at Happenstance Books & Yarns in Lakefield, ON
A photo of a book reading at Perfect Books in Ottawa, Ontario. In the photo, three authors sit in front of a small seated audience. There is a banner sign beside where they sit reading "I Don't Do Disability and Other Lies I've Told Myself, Adele Purdham." Along the walls are bookshelves full of books.
Caroline Topperman, Adelle Purdham, Nancy Huggett (L-R)
at a book event at Perfect Books in Ottawa, ON.
Photo supplied by Adelle Purdham.

The storefront at Reader's Haven Bookstore in Tobermory, Ontario. It is a house with grey vinyl siding and two windows on either side of a glass entrance door. There are books displayed in one of the windows and a map in the other.
The storefront at Reader’s Haven Bookstore in Tobermory, ON
A photo of author Jade Wallace reading from their book Anomia at Take Cover Books in Peterborough, Ontario for a seated audience. There are bookshelves all around the room.
Jade Wallace reading at Take Cover Books in Peterborough, ON
A photo of the storefront at Bookshelf in Guelph, Ontario. it is a brick building with red and black accent strips and a large sign reading "Bookshelf, Books. Film. Music. Food."
The storefront at Bookshelf in Guelph, ON

Happy Canadian Independent Bookstore Day to all!

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