Latest news with #bookstore
CBC
13 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
John W. Doull, Bookseller in danger of closing
The bookstore has been an institution in Halifax since 1987. As Andrew Sampson reports, it could close permanently if the business is unable to raise enough money to catch up on rent by Friday.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
A bookstore that's been a Halifax institution since 1987 is facing closure
An iconic Halifax bookstore may be forced to close permanently if the business is unable to raise enough money to catch up on rent by Friday. John W. Doull, Bookseller has been an institution in the city since 1987. It specializes in rare and out-of-print books, but carries a bit of everything and anything a bookworm could wish for. The used bookstore, which has been located on Main Street in Dartmouth since 2021, has a massive inventory that Doull recently estimated at 2 to 3 million books. If accurate, that would make the store one of the largest in Canada. But its days may be numbered. Doull didn't respond to an interview request Tuesday, but Jacob Smith — the business's only other employee — said they're two months behind on rent. They've been given notice by the building's landlord, Yellowstone Commercial Properties, that if they don't catch up by Friday, they'll be evicted. Including next month's rent, Smith estimated the store needs to bring in $15,000 to $20,000 in revenue by Friday evening. He was initially pessimistic they'd have any chance of reaching this goal, but after word circulated online that the shop was in trouble, he said business picked up. "On Monday, we did probably $4,000, $4,500 worth of sales, so if we can keep that ball rolling, it'll be good," Smith said. Prices on the entirety of the massive inventory have been discounted by 40 per cent in an attempt to draw in buyers and raise the funds. Business has picked up On Tuesday, the store was as busy as Smith had ever seen it, filled with longtime regulars and new customers. Anthony Reynolds said his partner, who'd been coming to the store since she was a kid, tipped him off about the sale after reading about the store's finances online. "She was really sad that it was closing and she knows that I love books," he said. "She told me it's like a maze so I definitely wanted to come and check it out before it closed." Former employee Jane Sodero, who first worked at the bookstore when it was located on Hollis Street in Halifax, came down shortly after hearing the news. "It's going to be such a loss to the city to not have a bookstore of this magnitude," she said. "Any book on any topic imaginable is available here." Historian Holly Hanes has been a regular since around 2018. She showed up with a list of books, many of them long out-of-print, about Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador that she was hoping to track down. It's rare, she said, for historians to be able to purchase any of this material, which is often only accessible in archives. Future unknown If the bookstore was to close, Smith said he's not sure what would happen to its inventory. He expects that many rare books and antiques would get auctioned off, but worries that much of the store's main inventory would be thrown out. Will Radford, the controller for Yellowstone Commercial Developments, said the company is willing to work with Doull if he meets Friday's deadline. But he said it's not the first time Doull has had trouble making rent. "We''re really hoping that, you know, he'll turn around the operation and be able to pay us money and continue to lease from us," he said. "If they can't pay the money at that time, then we would end up taking possession of the unit … and John Doull's business would be evicted." If it did come to that, Radford said in the short term, there are no plans to redevelop the property. Instead, the company would seek out a new tenant. MORE TOP STORIES
CBC
a day ago
- Business
- CBC
A bookstore that's been a Halifax institution since 1987 is facing closure
An iconic Halifax bookstore may be forced to close permanently if the business is unable to raise enough money to catch up on rent by Friday. John W. Doull, Bookseller has been an institution in the city since 1987. It specializes in rare and out-of-print books, but carries a bit of everything and anything a bookworm could wish for. The used bookstore, which has been located on Main Street in Dartmouth since 2021, has a massive inventory that Doull recently estimated at 2 to 3 million books. If accurate, that would make the store one of the largest in Canada. But its days may be numbered. Doull didn't respond to an interview request Tuesday, but Jacob Smith — the business's only other employee — said they're two months behind on rent. They've been given notice by the building's landlord, Yellowstone Commercial Properties, that if they don't catch up by Friday, they'll be evicted. Including next month's rent, Smith estimated the store needs to bring in $15,000 to $20,000 in revenue by Friday evening. He was initially pessimistic they'd have any chance of reaching this goal, but after word circulated online that the shop was in trouble, he said business picked up. "On Monday, we did probably $4,000, $4,500 worth of sales, so if we can keep that ball rolling, it'll be good," Smith said. Prices on the entirety of the massive inventory have been discounted by 40 per cent in an attempt to draw in buyers and raise the funds. Business has picked up On Tuesday, the store was as busy as Smith had ever seen it, filled with longtime regulars and new customers. Anthony Reynolds said his partner, who'd been coming to the store since she was a kid, tipped him off about the sale after reading about the store's finances online. "She was really sad that it was closing and she knows that I love books," he said. "She told me it's like a maze so I definitely wanted to come and check it out before it closed." Former employee Jane Sodero, who first worked at the bookstore when it was located on Hollis Street in Halifax, came down shortly after hearing the news. "It's going to be such a loss to the city to not have a bookstore of this magnitude," she said. "Any book on any topic imaginable is available here." Historian Holly Hanes has been a regular since around 2018. She showed up with a list of books, many of them long out-of-print, about Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador that she was hoping to track down. It's rare, she said, for historians to be able to purchase any of this material, which is often only accessible in archives. Future unknown If the bookstore was to close, Smith said he's not sure what would happen to its inventory. He expects that many rare books and antiques would get auctioned off, but worries that much of the store's main inventory would be thrown out. Will Radford, the controller for Yellowstone Commercial Developments, said the company is willing to work with Doull if he meets Friday's deadline. But he said it's not the first time Doull has had trouble making rent. "We''re really hoping that, you know, he'll turn around the operation and be able to pay us money and continue to lease from us," he said. "If they can't pay the money at that time, then we would end up taking possession of the unit … and John Doull's business would be evicted." If it did come to that, Radford said in the short term, there are no plans to redevelop the property. Instead, the company would seek out a new tenant.
New York Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
More Purring, More Buying? Why Bookstores Showcase Their Pets.
Wander into Wild Rumpus Books in Minneapolis and you might miss the tawny cat napping in the window, spine pressed against the sunniest corner of the sill. Venture deeper into the cozy warren of picture and chapter books, and you'll begin to detect a theme, if not a whiff of birdseed. That lazy feline known as Booker T. Jones turns out to be one of many beasts on the premises. Dave is a 27-year-old cockatiel who looks as if he applied too much coral rouge. Mo, a 26-year-old Barbary dove, roosts peacefully in a cage atop the sale shelf. There's also Newbery and Caldecott, a pair of gentle chinchillas; the Stinky Cheese Man, who, like all crested geckos, licks his own eyeballs; and Eartha Kitt, a jet-black Manx who politely recoiled from a visitor's hand while curled, cinnamon bun-style, in a mail bin. And, finally, there are 10 fish in a tank in the bathroom, all named for the children's book illustrators Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris. Their successors will be too, according to bookstore tradition. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CNA
6 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Books Kinokuniya opens new Raffles City outlet ahead of previously announced date
Good news for folks who were eagerly awaiting Books Kinokuniya's third outlet: The Japanese bookstore chain opened its new Raffles City outlet on Friday (Jul 18), ahead of schedule by weeks. Books Kinokuniya previously announced that the outlet would open in August. Its Raffles City store joins Books Kinokuniya's flagship store at Takashimaya, which was reconfigured and "right-sized" early this year, and its other store at Bugis Junction as the remaining Books Kinokuniya outlets in Singapore. According to Books Kinokuniya, the change in the opening date was because "renovations and preparations progressed ahead of schedule". View this post on Instagram A post shared by Books Kinokuniya 🇸🇬 (@kinokuniya_singapore) Books Kinokuniya Raffles City at located on the third floor of the mall and takes over the space previously used by electronics chain Challenger. The store spans 3,433 sq ft and boasts a reading room with deep blue shelves. There's also store-exclusive stationery and merchandise here, including cat-themed products from Matsuo Miyuki and rare Pickles The Frog items. Interestingly, in the lead up to Books Kinokuniya Raffles City's opening, the bookstore chain's Instagram account appeared to allude to the possibility of a new outlet at Jewel Changi as well as the revival of its JEM store, which was closed in 2022. Responding to fans' comments on the Instagram Story, Books Kinokuniya said: "Please keep us in business. And hopefully these will be a reality one day." In response to queries from CNA Lifestyle, a spokesperson from Books Kinokuniya clarified that the two suggested potential outlets were "actually suggestions put forth by customers" in April. "At this moment, these projects are not in the works, but responses from our customers do contribute to our strategic planning," said the spokesperson. When asked about its decision to open an outlet in Raffles City, Books Kinokuniya said that the mall was a "natural choice" due to its central location and strong foot traffic. 'We saw it as an ideal space to introduce a refreshed retail concept and engage with a broader community of readers and customers. With the move to rebrand our sister company, NBC's Raffles City outlet to Books Kinokuniya, we aim to continue serving stationery lovers and book lovers at the new outlet."
