Indie bookstore day - see what ‘Macbeth’ has on offer

Lisha Van Nieuwenhove

Uxbridge just wouldn’t be Uxbridge without Blue Heron Books in its downtown core. And this Saturday is the perfect day to celebrate its existence and all both the store and the studio do in and for the town. Across Canada, this Saturday, April 25, readers across the country will have the opportunity to support local independent bookshops by participating in Canadian Independent Bookstore Day (CIBD). More than 200 independently owned shops are reportedly participating in this annual cultural celebration that provides an opportunity for book buyers, authors, illustrators, and publishers to acknowledge the vibrant literary ecosystem created by independent booksellers.

The stores in this national network act as key community ambassadors, conveners of important conversations, and contributors to vibrant local economies. This is evident in the current Blue Heron Books window, which features a display of all the authors who are in visiting the store on Saturday. Owner Shelley Macbeth says that she has confirmed more than 25 authors, including Terry Fallis, Kate & Jennifer Robson, Sue Hincenbergs, and Uxbridge’s own Ted Barris, along with many other Durham Region authors.

“We’ll have prizes, games, product exclusives, writing contests, spinal poetry, and free coffee with any purchase!” says Macbeth. “We’ll also have a special Shakespeare theme – come see what Macbeth has on offer!”

Organizers of CIBD say that indie booksellers are experts in their field, passionate about facilitating connections between reader and writer and creating genuine, lasting relationships with their customers.

“The shops function as pillars of the community – inclusive spaces for conversation and hubs for events promoting enlightenment and entertainment. The indies are also vital to our national literary ecosystem, championing Canadian authors and illustrators from all genres and promoting writers who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, and LGBTQ2S+.”

‍ ‍Blue Heron Books has been part of Uxbridge for over 30 years, is a two-time winner of The Libris Award (Best Bookstore in Canada), and was named as a favourite by the legendary storyteller Stuart McLean. It continues to showcase a veritable who’s who of the world’s literary community, from impromptu store visits to legendary events with such literary superstars as John Irving, Michael Ondaatje, Louise Penny, Fredrik Backman, Yann Martel, Douglas Coupland, Chris Hadfield, Alan Doyle, and Dav Pilkey, to name a few.

In 2019, Blue Heron Books inaugurated The Book Drunkard Literary Festival, which now has both winter and spring sessions that are often sold out weeks, if not months in advance. The events featured during each session are individually ticketed, but can be purchased as a package which always includes signed copies of the book(s), or a voucher for use at the event.

Blue Heron Books is likely one of the busiest stores in the downtown core of Uxbridge. Its cozy feel and creaky floors invite one to browse and enjoy the atmosphere, but there’s always an electricity in the air of all the possibilities that lie both within the books themselves and in the events Macbeth and her staff are planning.

Says its website, “Blue Heron Books values its location in a 200-year-old building located in the busy and popular shopping area once frequented by former resident Lucy Maud Montgomery.”