At a table just inside the door of Bring and Buy Books in Esquimalt, Jack Romphf is perched in the same seat he takes every day to visit his friend and owner of the shop, Ray Kennedy.
He occasionally leaves with a book, but mostly he comes to chat with Kennedy and watch through the world go by through the window at 1241 Esquimalt Rd.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 in this store once a day,B次元官网网址� Romphf said. B次元官网网址淭his is where all the problems of the world are solved.B次元官网网址�
At the end of May, heB次元官网网址檒l have to find a new place to sit, as Kennedy is closing Bring and Buy, the used bookstore he has owned and operated since 1999.
The building B次元官网网址� rife with and in need of much work to be brought up to code B次元官网网址� sat on the market for six years, never entertaining a solid offer. Kennedy even had a buyer lined up for the business, as he started to think about retiring. On the day he decided to sell, the Township came knocking to say theyB次元官网网址檇 purchased the land and would demolish the building.
B次元官网网址淚 was going to buy it and run it the exact same way for another 10 years,B次元官网网址� said Cliff Worth, adding for the communityB次元官网网址檚 less fortunate, Bring and Buy is a place where they can still get a DVD for $2 or a book to own, instead of borrowing from the library.
The 73-year-old building at the corner of Esquimalt Road and Park Place has a long history of serving the Township. A flower shop has operated there, as well as a hardware store, a grocery store and a consignment clothing retailer. There was even a gas station on the site at one time.
For now, it will turn into an interim parking lot. After that the siteB次元官网网址檚 future remains unclear.
RELATED:
Mayor Barb Desjardins said preparation of the lot across Park Place behind the town hall B次元官网网址� the future site of the Esquimalt town centre B次元官网网址� removed close to 40 parking stalls.
B次元官网网址淲e have heard from residents the difficulty in getting both to the library as well as to town hall because of the lack of parking,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淪o until the parkades and the Esquimalt Town Square are done, that will continue to be a challenge.B次元官网网址�
The old building has residential units on the second floor, and Desjardins confirmed the tenants there will be displaced, in a community already dealing with an affordable housing shortage.
Romphf said the used bookstore, run by a new owner, should be grandfathered back in when retail units are developed, but he doesnB次元官网网址檛 believe that fits the TownshipB次元官网网址檚 vision.B次元官网网址淭his community needs this kind of bookstore.B次元官网网址�
In the Facebook group Esquimalt Community Connection, many have expressed their disappointment in losing the shop.
B次元官网网址淚 know [second hand bookstores are] becoming a thing of the past but so is my elderly mom,B次元官网网址� wrote Deb DB次元官网网址橝rcy. B次元官网网址淪he is not interested in reading books on her iPad, she is old school and still has the need to feel the book in her hand.B次元官网网址�
In 2017, a new owner purchased The Donair Shop, a 30-year-old business at 1243 Esquimalt Rd. previously run by the Dunahee family. Kennedy said the new owner bought with the understanding he had at least a year to operate there, but now, after closing at this location, heB次元官网网址檚 considering going mobile and turning The Donair Shop into a food truck.
An employee next door at CrowB次元官网网址檚 Nest (1237-1239 Esquimalt Rd.), a second-hand furniture for the past five years, said theyB次元官网网址檙e just taking it B次元官网网址渄ay by day.B次元官网网址� Though she wasnB次元官网网址檛 sure what the owner has planned, the employee has heard rumblings through the community.
B次元官网网址淎 lot of people are pissed,B次元官网网址� she said, pointing out that business is thriving. B次元官网网址淲e wouldnB次元官网网址檛 still be here without the community [shopping here].B次元官网网址�
kristyn.anthony@
