Vancouver Island Booksellers Operating During the Covid-19 Outbreak

The following Vancouver Island bookstores are selling books online or by phone (free local delivery for some) while Covid-19 social restrictive measures are in place:

Munro’s Books (Victoria)

Bolen Books (Victoria)

Russell Books (Victoria)

Ivy’s Bookshop (Victoria) – now open for phone-in and online ordering

Camas Books (Victoria) – every book is washed with “75% solution of isopropyl alcohol”

Cavity Curiosity Shop (Victoria) – “no contact” pick up service only

Tanner’s Books (Sidney)

Salt Spring Books (Salt Spring Island)

Galiano Island Books (Galiano Island)

Talisman Books (Pender Island)

Volume One Bookstore (Duncan)

Strong Nations Gifts & Books (Nanaimo) – now “open for orders as usual”

Windowseat Books (Nanaimo) – with restrictions, “only books in stock will be sold”

Fireside Books (Parksville) – zoom in on the shelf photos for a used books browsing experience! Then call the store. It’s unclear how often the photos are being updated.

Mulberry Bush Bookstore (Parksville & Qualicum) – “open hours” are for phone orders

Blue Heron Books (Comox)

Laughing Oyster Book Shop (Courtenay)

Coho Books (Campbell River)

Mermaid Tales Bookshop (Tofino) – now accepting online orders

At least one Vancouver Island book seller says they are closed on their website, and that they will not be shipping merchandise during the Covid-19 outbreak:

Salamander Books (Ladysmith)

The following bookstores have sites that allow you to order online, but have not issued statements as to whether or not they’re still operating during the Covid-19 outbreak:

Black Sheep Books (Salt Spring Island)

Abraxas Books (Denman Island)

All five Indigo bookstores on Vancouver Island are temporarily closed. You can still order books and other merchandise on Indigo’s website. There are a number of reasons you might want to order products from Indigo if smaller book sellers do not carry them:

• Indigo employs many Vancouver Island people, including friends of mine and students
• every store has a local author or interest section (they’ve been really good to me)
• they are a Canadian company – Amazon is not
• Amazon employees are expressing risky Covid-19 work environments

Several other Vancouver Island bookstores do not have websites for ordering merchandise including James Bay Coffee and Books (Victoria) and The Book Nook in Port Hardy. If we were to include used bookstores, like Well Read Books shown at the top of this post, there would be many more.

A few final things to consider, in regards to your online order:

• the latest research suggests the virus can live for 24 hours on cardboard/paper. One doctor suggests longer in this video about package handling.
• your greatest risk of infection will be the mail carrier, or a shared space mail area
• since we’re talking about postal workers, lets remember to be grateful for them
• set the package aside for a day or more or wash your hands after handing the outer package, being very careful not to touch your face in the meantime

I’ll be updating this post regularly until all of this is over. If you know of a bookseller who has an online ordering service that I’ve somehow missed, or see that the information is outdated, please leave a comment below.

Wherever you’re hiding out during this time of social isolation, I wish you much health and happiness. Read lots and be safe!

Can't wait to read Norse Mythology – found @russellbooks here in Victoria

Gaiman retells the stories using fictional tools, with narrative arcs, dialogue, etc. It's often been recommended

I like Gaiman, as a person, more than other big name genre writers at the moment, so yeah pic.twitter.com/vIZhAA9Axg

— Shanon Sinn (@ShanonSinn) July 11, 2020

both the book + term came up in First Nations studies at #VIU but I’d never actually read White Fragility before

recommended for anyone who “gets it” or wants to get it. We can each do our part by working on ourselves. It’s hard, as we never know what we don’t know@MunrosBooks pic.twitter.com/7vfQBPGVC6

— Shanon Sinn (@ShanonSinn) July 1, 2020

https://twitter.com/ShanonSinn/status/1266898500370882561?s=20

https://twitter.com/LitCentralVI/status/1265020409453244416?s=20

Used @BolenBooks new order pick up service today! Awesome experience.

1) it was 5 km total on bike, mostly flat (mostly)
2) Connelly's latest Bosch book! Finally in paperback
3) controlled environment felt safe
4) saw manager Vaughn, 1st person I actually know since March 12th pic.twitter.com/28w61E6odm

— Shanon Sinn (@ShanonSinn) May 1, 2020

https://twitter.com/ShanonSinn/status/1253483054128979968?s=20

My order from @strong_nations

In Our Own Aboriginal Voice has stories by #VIU grads @SheenaLeahR, @ssheehankalina + Michael Calvert, pub by @RebelMtnPress

Bawaajigan is supernatural stories, one by Delani Valin – another friend and @viucrew grad#SupportLocal #vancouverisland pic.twitter.com/Rz6UW1FXgk

— Shanon Sinn (@ShanonSinn) April 14, 2020