Two former coworkers turn a lifelong dream into a community-centred bookstore in Ladysmith<\/p>\n
When Dana Corbett and Catherine Quaglia opened Boundless Books earlier this summer in the heart of Ladysmith, they weren\u2019t just opening a bookstore \u2014 they were building the life they wanted to live.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to spend your time somewhere that gives you life,\u201d said Corbett. \u201cThat\u2019s what we wanted and that\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to create.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two women met years ago while working at Volume One Bookstore in Duncan. They shared a love of books, and later, a vision: to open a store of their own someday.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a dream Quaglia has carried since her days as a student at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, and when she thinks about it, even earlier.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just love books,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen I was young libraries were kind of my comfort places. I just always loved them. So having a bookstore and being able to provide a space for people like that, and seeing the families coming here, it just gives me such a sense of joy and purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
That dream became reality when long-time bookseller Frieda Douglas decided to retire after 20 years of running Salamander Books in Ladysmith. Corbett and Quaglia see it not as taking over Douglas\u2019s space but continuing its legacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are really very glad that it has remained a bookstore, first and foremost,\u201d said Corbett about the community response since they opened. \u201cKudos to Catherine because she did all of the buying and people just love the selection. They\u2019re like, \u2018I see authors I\u2019m supposed to see and then I see authors I don\u2019t expect to see.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s that curatorial eye that makes Boundless Books special. The owners hope to offer what customers are looking for, but also give people the opportunity to discover new genres and authors they might not have encountered before.<\/p>\n
With decades of bookselling experience between them and complementary skills \u2014 Quaglia\u2019s buying expertise and Corbett\u2019s background in bookstore management \u2014 the pair opened the store they\u2019d always wanted to work in. With new staff member Lydia rounding out the team, they\u2019ve got their perfect team.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re business partners; it\u2019s like we\u2019re practically married now,\u201d said Corbett, laughing. \u201cBut there\u2019s a lot of growth because we\u2019re different people; similar, but different backgrounds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quaglia agrees.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have lots of ideas and she\u2019s really just allowed me to express that part of my creativity,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s been really fun in that way too, creating a space together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve still had to have hard conversations,\u201d Corbett added about the newfound realities of business ownership. \u201cSo we\u2019re also growing in that way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Frieda Douglas offered her full support during the transition.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told us that she was just so grateful that someone with energy to keep going in the book business,\u201d said Corbett. \u201cShe said, \u2018You\u2019re old enough for the experience and young enough for the energy.\u2019 She handed over the keys and just said thank you for letting me retire.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Corbett and Quaglia\u00a0said they are honoured to continue\u00a0the legacy Douglas built.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The shop is designed to feel calm, personal and welcoming. The front-of-store children\u2019s section, visible from the desk, is a central feature.<\/p>\n
\u201cA big part for us was the kids section,\u201d said Quaglia. \u201cSometimes kids sections can be tucked away in back corners. We really wanted to bring that to the forefront.\u201d<\/p>\n
The cozy children\u2019s section invites families to read, play and explore books together. And of course, to provide a safe spot for kids to read while adults browse the store.<\/p>\n
The layout may be intimate, but the curation is expansive, reflecting the unique offerings only independent bookstores can provide.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think what you get with an independent bookstore is that there are real people that are sitting in front of a computer, going to book fairs, reading advance reader copies and are putting in a lot of effort to make sure that really good books are on the shelves and available for you,\u201d said Corbett. \u201cEverything in here, every single book that you see in this whole store, even the puppets, the cards, they have all been hand selected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Let’s see an algorithm provide that.<\/p>\n
And while there may not be a bookstore cat, there\u2019s a plush one lounging in the children\u2019s corner, plus a healthy supply of cat-themed reads and calendars. Visiting dogs\u00a0are very much welcome.<\/p>\n
Quaglia and Corbett have\u00a0already started tailoring their inventory to the town\u2019s tastes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a lot of desire for what we call \u201cromantasy\u201d, which is the term for romance fantasy,\u201d said Quaglia. The store is fully stocked with those books but there are also genres that may be new to many.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a genre called Japanese movie fiction,\u201d said Quaglia. \u201cIt’s a really specific genre. They\u2019re kind of cozy and comforting. Sometimes there\u2019s time travel. There\u2019s often a cat. There’s something really soothing about them. I\u2019m interested to see how people respond to that section.\u201d<\/p>\n
And while the store may be small, it\u2019s not limited.<\/p>\n
Their online ordering system makes their service even more accessible. Customers can browse from home, order what they need, and pick it up in store, still getting that local connection.<\/p>\n
The owners of Boundless Books say their goal is to keep evolving, growing and serving the community for years to come.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to see us grow. I\u2019d like to see us become a go-to destination for well-curated quality books,\u201d said Corbett.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some shelves remain deliberately unfilled \u2014 a visual reminder that the store, like its founders\u2019 dream, still has room to grow.<\/p>\n
For now, they\u2019re focused on getting to know the community and evolving their offerings. Future plans may include gatherings, author readings, book clubs and more. They\u2019re not there yet, but the vision is, and the commitment is clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve both worked really hard in our lives and we\u2019ve both raised families,\u201d said Quaglia. After a pause following graduation ceremonies and the shift to empty nesting, both women asked themselves, \u201cWhat\u2019s the next thing going to be and what am I going to do that brings joy?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It would appear they\u2019ve found it.<\/p>\n
At their opening celebration, a fellow Island bookstore owner told them that people always ask her if they should open a bookstore. Her response: \u201cDon\u2019t open a bookstore \u2014 save a bookstore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Corbett and Quaglia don\u2019t see it as saving. To them, it\u2019s about continuing a legacy, and shaping the next chapter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very values driven and purpose is really important to me,\u201d said Quaglia. \u201cI think this is really good work.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the kind of work that feels even more vital in these times.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe world is really noisy right now. It\u2019s really noisy,\u201d said Quaglia. \u201cReading is slowing down and just being present with whoever you’re reading with and enjoying that together. I feel like we really need that right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the kind of quiet, joyful work the women behind Boundless Books plan to keep doing \u2014 one hand-picked title at a time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two former coworkers turn a lifelong dream into a community-centred bookstore in Ladysmith When Dana Corbett and Catherine…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38475,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[353,27995,49,48,75],"class_list":{"0":"post-38474","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-books","9":"tag-booksbookstorescatsdogskidscustomer-serviceindependent","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-canada","12":"tag-entertainment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38474"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38474\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}