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Canadian Independent Bookstore Day is an annual event that celebrates the spirit and value of independent bookstores. On Saturday, April 25th, independent bookstores from coast to coast participate with a vibrant array of celebrations. Westminster Bookmark owner, Dan MacDonald, says ‘Canadian Independent Bookstore Day is one of our favourite events of the year - the spirit of the book community is on full display, the support shown for our small business, and the celebration of books, authors, illustrators and readers - these are the things that make this a special day.”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. Local booksellers also play a vital role in the Canadian literary ecosystem. They are conduits of discovery, champions of Canadian creators at all career stages, and introducing Canadian readers to a diverse range of voices from across Canada’s rich cultural landscape.
Westminster Bookmark’s 2026 Bookstore Ambassador, local novelist Nancy Bauer (Samara the Wholehearted, The Irrational Doorways of Mr. Gerard, etc.), when talking about why she loves independent bookstores, says:
"I’ve had some scares in the last few years, the possibility of the demise of Westminster Bookstore being one. Janet North, after lovingly tending to it for 50 years, decided to retire. But, phew, along came Bookmark to the rescue. If you doubt the importance of independent bookstores, read Keith Helmuth’s Working in the Commonwealth of Books and Nick Thran’s If It Gets Quiet Later On, I Will Make a Display. In my childhood, I watched my brilliant father, with no library in our village, educate himself on dozens of subjects-- biblical scholarship, visual art, poetry-- through secondhand book stores, also bringing home Heidi and Black Beauty to my brother and me. Later when he worked for the Boston Globe, he was a faithful customer of the ultimate independent bookstore, Vic the Bookseller, who made the rounds to the night newsrooms, carrying a valise of new books, targeting his best customers with work they couldn’t resist, including books for me, Gone with the Wind and the story of Maggie Higgins. After I married, Dad was delighted that he could buy me cookbooks—Vic also must have been delighted. When he retired, he bought gift books for all of us from many independent bookstores, including 18th century tomes for my husband.
Because Westminster survived, even flourished, and then evolved, it became, as Fawn Parker has written, a centre of the Fredericton literary community, with launches, readings, and many shelves displaying local books. It has always been an education magnet with its splendid collection of children’s books and a boon for grandmothers. Now it’s a godsend for this old woman. I see a reference to a book I know I must have, I phone 506-455-1059, speak to a cheerful bookseller, Todd maybe, order the book, and in a few days it arrives. That means more interesting conversation, perhaps with Nick or Norine, their taking my credit card number (worry-free), and it’s mine. One of my pals will pick it up for me-- more sociability, discussing the delivered book over a mug of tea."
This year’s celebration at Westminster Bookmark includes –
• A chance to win a $1,000, or one of four $200 Bookmark gift certificates. Please visit indiebookstores.ca/CIBD for the full contest rules.
• Bookmark’s popular ‘Spin to Win’ contest will be back with chances to win extra points, swag and product, or donations to our local food bank.
• Lots of book swag and exclusive merchandise while quantities last.
• Blind date with a book.
• Double reward points on all qualifying purchases for our Bookmark Reader Rewards Program. If you haven’t signed up for our Reader Rewards Program, please ask us, it’s FREE.
• Live music and more…
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Event Venue
88 York St, Fredericton, NB E3B 3N5, Canada
Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
