April 24, 2012. - Posted by: The Big Beat - Ottawa Citizen
I got an email from the people at Octopus Books, in the Glebe, telling me they’re opening a second location, and my first thought was, “are they crazy?”
The only thing any bookstore has done in recent years is close, as e-books kill them off. I recently read a comic novel titled The Last Bookstore in America, which was about the final bookstore in the entire country, and it propped up by backroom sales of a certain illegal and popular herb.
So I asked David Robbins of Octopus Books, “Isn’t it crazy to open a bookstore in 2012?”
Robbins replies, “I prefer ‘bold’ to ‘crazy’.” He adds, “It’s a good question. The key for this new, second location is that we are blending a book store with a new community space, the Under One Roof social innovation hub. So part of our business going forward is based on partnerships with social-mission organizations and developing new, creative projects that expand what an independent bookstore is about.
“Octopus has always been about connecting to community — so independents have to take their business forward in new, creative ways that build their community — online and in the real world.”
The new location is upstairs at 251 Bank Street, just off Somerset in Centretown. Community groups and “social justice advocates” will share the space, the Octopus news release says.
The first event took place last week when University of Manitoba proessor Deborah Stienstra discusses her book About Canada: Disability Rights.
Octopus Books’ main location is 116 Third Ave. in the Glebe.
So I asked David Robbins of Octopus Books, “Isn’t it crazy to open a bookstore in 2012?”
Robbins replies, “I prefer ‘bold’ to ‘crazy’.” He adds, “It’s a good question. The key for this new, second location is that we are blending a book store with a new community space, the Under One Roof social innovation hub. So part of our business going forward is based on partnerships with social-mission organizations and developing new, creative projects that expand what an independent bookstore is about.
“Octopus has always been about connecting to community — so independents have to take their business forward in new, creative ways that build their community — online and in the real world.”
The new location is upstairs at 251 Bank Street, just off Somerset in Centretown. Community groups and “social justice advocates” will share the space, the Octopus news release says.
The first event took place last week when University of Manitoba proessor Deborah Stienstra discusses her book About Canada: Disability Rights.
Octopus Books’ main location is 116 Third Ave. in the Glebe.
No comments:
Post a Comment