On Thursday, March 13, 2008 McNally Robinson announced they would be closing their only Calgary store at the end of July after operating in Calgary for six years.
They had purchased the downtown building with great fanfare and renovated the location to make it Calgary’s greatest showplace for books since Canterbury Books folded its fabulous tent in the Penny Lane Centre many years ago.
In my present cranky state It seems the lure of the dollars they could grab by the unbelievable increase in the value of real estate during the past 2-3 years has blinded them to Calgary’s possibilities and the sense of privilege most of us booksellers feel in serving the wonderful customer base hereabouts.
They had improved the bookselling atmosphere here in many ways and us booklovers are more than a little bit devastated to see them leave because it makes what we are trying to accomplish here more difficult.
But Calgarians and those brave enough and venturesome enough to join this vibrant community will no doubt go on and become stronger and better in spite of this loss. We know what a bookstore headed by booklovers can be and anyone with half a brain has already seen that moneylovers have little place in the bookselling community - here or anywhere else.
Yes - money is necessary to stay in business and even more money is necessary to improve a business but the real reward in the book business is gained by providing the best possible service to the people who love books because they are the best possible clientele.
And, yes again - I am well aware of how corny this sort of chatter may seem to those jaded by the outside clatter and banging of the world outside a bookstore - but the truth is the truth … smile.
Fair’s Fair was also in dire financial straits in January but we squeaked through again, as we have so many times during the twenty years we have been involved in retailing books here. This business, like every other business, has its ups and downs and survival is often more a matter of luck and general good fortune than anything else.
Our longevity is not a shield against the rising prices of everything our customers need in their everyday lives - and it shouldn’t be expected to be. We are thankful to enjoy the privilege of being in this business and knowing the possibilities it presents for our customers, our staff, our family and … for myself.
4 comments so far
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Comment 1 · by ircjamey · 16 June 2008 · 2:01 pm
Just to let you know.. with fewer and fewer used books stores out there your place is becoming a lite in the darkness fro use word junkies who are looking for those rare out of print books. you guys helped me get a spider Robinson book which i have been looking for. and not finding for a long time. now that I have it my friends wont leave it on my book shelf and are now fans of a old series. (Callahan’s place series).
So do know that you guy’s are great and keep it going.
Comment 2 · by George Henderson · 17 June 2008 · 8:49 am
Thanks ircjamey for your comment with your encouraging words - and yes … I do know the book business in Calgary is in dire straits but I promise you we will keep paddling like hell and keep on keeping on - trying to survive.
Comment 3 · by Jett Rink · 29 June 2008 · 5:39 am
In fairness to McNally Robinson, they have not “taken the money and run”.
They could not make a go of their Calgary store.
In retrospect, they used the same site selection they did for their other stores in Manitoba, Sask. and Toronto. Namely a downtown location.
Calgary has a recovering Downtown core, but it is still a retail darkspot.
Had they chosen a slightly more suburban location with on-site parking, things may have been different.
To stop me from going off on a rant, I wont comment on “TheReisman” here.
I love Fair’s Fair and make it my own personal mission to get as many of my friends and family using FF as their “go to” bookseller.
Calgary’s retail bookworld remains in a time of darkness with few lights to guide the way. FF is definitely one of them.
Comment 4 · by George Henderson · 29 June 2008 · 12:15 pm
Thanks for your comment Jett … and your kind words,
Yes, I was cranky when I wrote the blog and I admit to still being more than a little bit perturbed the makings of a great bookstore is leaving Calgary but since my blog on the subject I have had a chance to talk with “cooler” heads who undoubtedly know more about the situation than I.
Some people see the difficulties the book business in general is experiencing and can understand all the mitigating circumstances which went into the decision to leave Calgary altogether - there will always be others who see it as an opportunity missed because an initial decision which proved to be wrong was not revisited and led to another decision which may have been made in the heat of the moment.
When a chain store in Chinook Mall is producing the top sales of any of its Canadian stores - we have to wonder what a real bookstore might be able to achieve if it was anywhere in the vicinity.
Sadly, we may never know - but Calgarians and people in the Calgary area deserve better.
A business catering to impulse buyers and not in a location to best serve its customers can expect difficulties - but when they choose to blame the customers for their mistakes … well, Socrates’ phrase “An unexamined life is not worth living” comes to mind.
Respectfully,
George
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