Call for submissions for an event to honor Toronto's venerable, shuttered Pages Books
Evan from Toronto's Coach House Books sez, "After three decades in business, indie bookstore Pages Books and Magazines is shutting its doors on August 31, but not without a proper farewell from Toronto. On Tuesday, September 8, 'Afterword: A Celebration of 30 Years,' will bring together friends and family of Pages to share their stories and images, which we're asking you to submit for consideration for the event."
Pages requests memories for send-off bash (Thanks, Evan!)
For the past thirty years, Pages Books & Magazines has been a place where the culturally engaged citizens of Toronto met one another, conspired, fell in love, debated aesthetics and, occasionally, bought books. Skyrocketing rent, not a drop in sales, has forced Proprietor Marc Glassman to close his iconic indie shop at Queen and John streets on August 31, 2009.We are collecting material to be presented at 'Afterword: A Celebration Of 30 Years', an event presented by Pages Books & Magazines, Coach House Books, Gladstone Hotel, NOW Magazine, Spacing Magazine, and This is Not A Reading Series, to be held at Gladstone Hotel on Sept 8. What has Pages Books meant to you? Tell us your tale. Do you have photos? We'd love to see them!
SEND YOUR STORIES AND IMAGES TO: my.pagesbooks.story@gmail.com.
DEADLINE: August 24, 2009
(Image: Matthew Kim)
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First David Mirvish Books closes down and now this!? It is nice to see them going out with a nice event like this.
Easily one of the greatest book stores I have ever been in. Each time I was in the neighbourhood I would stop in and buy something. When Bakka was down the street, and Silver Snail across the road, it was total perfection.
I think this may be another example of the change in the hood thanks to CTV moving in on City turf. A lot of the quirky stores have been blown out as the gentrification pushes East. Won't be long until there is a Lexus showroom.
Thanks for posting this, Cory. I can't contribute any stories ithout copping to several felonious and aberrant acts but I'll definitely be at the Gladstone on the 8th. Just wish Marc would relocate to Parkdale.
Cheers.
"I think this may be another example of the change in the hood thanks to CTV moving in on City turf. A lot of the quirky stores have been blown out as the gentrification pushes East. Won't be long until there is a Lexus showroom"...
Hmmm, it seems that people with the mindset to appreciate these book stores and thos other 'quirky' outfits didn't help keep them open with money out of their pockets...
#4: Pages isn't closing because a lack of business. Last time BB posted on Pages closing there were other anonymous messages telling of "bad service" being the cause. The fact is, the rent is skyrocketing because of the gentrification. It has nothing to do with "unfriendly" staff (this is false in any case) or lack of paying customers (equally false). An independent bookstore simply can't survive with such high rents. I just can't understand why there's so much glee amongst certain people when stores like this close. Really, does it bug you that much that a store like this exists?
So, one thing White People like (indie bookstore) is being killed off by another thing that White People like (gentrification)
This is Toronto. There are plenty of non-white people shopping at Pages.
Lexus dealership, maybe not. But the opera house up the street has been fronted with Lexus-sponsored advertising for some time now. Moot point, though.
We grow old. The things we remember are torn down and new things, unfamiliar, are built in their place.
"The things that make me weak and strange get engineered away"
No one cares.
Whats with the Daniel Clowes knockoff standee?