It’s a cool but sunny Friday in November of 2022, an idyllic fall day. If you happened to wander into Cedar Canoe Books on Main St in Huntsville, you might find yourself a bit confused. In the middle of the day, the store is so full of people you can hardly move. This was Cedar Canoe Books’ opening day, and the excitement of finally having a bookstore again in Huntsville was quite literally overflowing from the store.
In just over a year and a half since they opened, that excitement hasn’t waned, according to owner Chandler Jolliffe. That’s why Cedar Canoe Books recently completed a 900 sq ft expansion of the store, adding more than 1,000 new titles to its shelves.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have such a wonderful community of readers and families,” said Jolliffe, adding, “We always want to find more ways to serve our community, and we believe this expansion will let us do a lot more.”
“Bookstores are supposed to be more than just a shop. At their best, they are an extension of a community, a safe space, a social space, a space for comfort and inspiration”. On a recent Saturday, it was easy to see what Jolliffe meant. Families and friends sat on couches and chairs around the store, passing books back and forth. Kids curled up on a couch in the kid’s section with piles of books on their laps. You could hear customers and staff laughing with each other towards the front.
Their new space isn’t just for seating and extra books. Cedar Canoe Books says one of their main goals was creating enough space to host a much broader variety of events in store. In the past, the store has had authors like Roy MacGregor, Terry Fallis, Kevin Callen, Ken Reid, Robert Rotenberg and more, both for events inside and outside the store.
“The goal is to be able to provide more cultural events for the community right here in the store” said Jolliffe, adding “be it fiction or nonfiction, authors can help us better understand our world, our hopes and our trials.”
Upcoming events include a talk with renowned Canadian Historian and best selling author Mark Bourrie on June 19th; A cocktail party with recent cookbook authors Freddie & Katie Laliberte, owners of Heydays At The June Motel on June 22nd; A talk with Ontario sheep farmer Barbara McLean on July 3rd about her recent memoir. Jolliffe says they have many more events to announce soon.
“It’s not always easy getting authors to come all the way to Huntsville.We generally have to show much higher sales of their books than a store closer to a major city would”. That’s why for most events, all tickets come with a copy of the book. “We see it as important to be able to bring these events to our community and build a strong enough reputation to get more and more folks to come here.”
Many of Cedar Canoe Books’ events sell out and they encourage people to buy tickets as early as possible.
You don’t have to spend very long in the store to see the community that Jolliffe repeatedly refers to. As teenagers, parents, young kids and folks of every age mill about, talk excitedly about what they recently read, chat with friends, or find refuge behind a book in a chair, it’s easy to understand why this is a favorite spot for so many.
Cedar Canoe Books is located at 72 Main St East, Huntsville. You can visit them online at www.cedarcanoebooks.com for books as well as tickets to upcoming events. Find them on social media @cedarcanoebooks
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