 |
Jim Munro, 83, inside Munro's Books
|
This month marks the 50th birthday of Munro's Books, the beloved Victoria-based independent bookstore owned and operated by Jim Munro. Munro's fame began with a vision from Jim himself when he relocated his small bookstore to its current location, a stately building formerly used as a bank. Standing in the vacant 6,000 square feet Jim was reminded of a childhood fantasy, and felt like Louis XIV with his Versailles.
Perhaps it was this vision, along with the beautiful building itself that found Munro's Books on last month's list of 16 Bookstores You Have to See Before You Die (Buzzfeed).
While Jim admits there have been challenges as an independent bookstore competing with larger retailers such as Chapters, and more, the increasing demand in digital books, the experience of shopping at Munro's is a unique one. The atmosphere is welcoming and the employees are known to make helpful recommendations. Overall, there is a shared love and respect for the books, one that cannot be found just anywhere. Happy 50th Munro's Books! Here's to 50 more!
2 comments:
Love the photos of Munro's. It's a gem and one of my favourite places to shop or just browse.
Lovely article! Could you amend it though to say Munro's is in the city of Victoria, rather than our big sister, Vancouver, across the water? Beautiful photos :)
Post a Comment