Book Warehouse closing after 32 years in Vancouver
Posted March 15, 2012 12:20 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – An iconic discount book store in Vancouver is closing its doors.
“Our leases are expiring and so are we,” explains founder Sharman King, as he announced the closure of Book Warehouse, a Vancouver chain he founded in 1980.
“Bookselling in Canada can be a difficult proposition at the best of times, and discount bookselling adds even more difficulty,” he says, noting the leases on all four of his stores are up. “I’m 65. To renew leases would be looking to age 70.”
King tells us his company is not bankrupt but its employees aren’t in a position to buy it out. “We’re leaving with no regrets.”
Although the publishing landscape is rapidly changing, he maintains “if they read more on devices, they’ll probably read more physical books. Really, the market has shown that.”
King believes “smaller independent bookstores are going to have a long future,” and cites Vancouver Kidsbooks as an example.
Book Warehouse will sell all its stock and fixtures. The closing sale has already begun and will continue for several weeks. “There is over a mile of books on our shelves – that’s a lot of books to sell.”
