Farewell to Ardea Books

I was in need of some weekend reading material, so I popped over to W. 4th to pick up some books from Vancouver's newest (only 9 months old) bookstore, Ardea Books. Imagine my shock and surprise to find that a clothing store now occupied Ardea's space. Gone were the shelves of books and serene browsing ambience. Replacing them were racks of clothing and music thumping at high volume.

Another independent bookstore gone. How sad!

I was there a month ago buying books and I congratulated the owner on her wonderful store. We chatted and I asked her how it felt to be the proprietor of such a fine store. She said, "It's a scary time to be a business owner." On hearing that, I felt a twinge of worry — but never suspected that she was days away from closing the doors.

Here's a Georgia Straight article about the store.

Goodbye, Ardea Books. We will miss you!