There was a time, about 30 years ago, when tourists would travel to Sydney to explore the eclectic little bookstores they had heard about in the quaint seaside town.
According to Al Smith, executive director of the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Book Town became something of a phenomenon for the community and made Sydney an international destination for book lovers.
Much of this was thanks to Clive and Christine Tanner.
They moved to the community in 1982 and over the next 40 years owned and operated half a dozen bookshops and became the driving force behind building Book Town’s reputation. Inspired by their visits to Hay-on-Wye in Wales – home to several bookshops and a popular literary festival – they were inspired and determined to make Sidney a centre for bookshops.
They opened their first store, Beacon Books, in 1993, specializing in rare books and first editions. Other stores followed, including Christine’s Paperback Writer. The growing reputation led to the opening of other bookstores not affiliated with the Tanners, and the Book Town concept was established.
“Book Town was successful and grew to a dozen stores by about 2005 for four main reasons,” said Cliff McNeil-Smith, the current mayor of Sidney and owner of Tanner’s Books.
“First of all, the downtown business district was excellent for local entrepreneurs (and) the local/regional customer demographics were excellent for new and used/antiquarian books. (Plus) Sidney is a transportation hub (BC Ferries, Victoria International Airport and marinas) with significant tourism. (And finally,) Clive Tanner was a pioneer in attracting new booksellers to Sidney.”
In fact, McNeil-Smith said he returned to Sidney from Calgary because of a line he read on the Sidney Book Town website.
It read: “Call Clive Tanner if you would like to join Sidney Book Town.” The Tanners sold their eponymous store in 2001 to McNeil-Smith, who still owns it today.
Sadly, Clive Tanner passed away in September 2022 at the age of 90. By that time, several bookstores in Sidney had already closed, and in early 2024, Christine Tanner closed Beacon Books after selling her collection of more than 10,000 books, as well as the store’s shelves, chairs and antique furnishings, to a company based in Creston, BC.
One can only speculate about the reasons for the closure of so many bookstores in Sydney.
Some say it’s because of the advent of the Internet and the online availability of rare books. Others say large retail bookstores have created competitive pressures that smaller specialty stores have struggled to combat.
“Many bookstores have focused on offering all sorts of merchandise that has little to do with books,” said William Matthews, the owner of Sydney’s last remaining specialty bookstore, The Haunted Bookshop. He explained that stores like his, which forego selling everything from mugs to calendars to fluffy blankets and instead focus on actual books (what a concept, right?), can be at a disadvantage.
“The thing is, the cheap books have become very cheap, especially in the used book market,” said Alex Matthews, William’s daughter and partner in the store. “We have books that sold for $3 in 1960 that we might get $6 for today. And at the same time, the expensive, rare books have become very expensive.”
“It’s not a good business model,” she continued, smiling. “I’ve spent my whole life in bookstores like this and I’ve always been told that whatever you do (in life), you shouldn’t open a bookstore. But I can’t help it. I love books.”
Whatever the reasons, the fact remains that after the recent closure of Galleon Books, only two Book Town locations remain in operation – Tanner’s Books and The Haunted Bookshop.
“The many small (book) stores have added to the already vibrant culture of our community,” McNeil-Smith said. “And the feedback I get is that both locals and returning visitors miss the closed stores.”
This is perhaps a good time to recall a quote by Walt Disney. He said, “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate booty on Treasure Island.”
And although Sydney’s bookstores have largely disappeared, the legacy of these treasures still lives on.