Brianna Sharpe
THE GLOBE AND MAIL | Arts | Books
JoAnn McCaig, owner of Calgary’s Shelf Life Books, would love readers to describe her store as whimsical and serendipitous. And indeed, the store should be bursting with Christmas whimsy right now. Customers would normally be enjoying cider and cookies, browsing the shelves for the perfect gifts. But instead, people are waiting outside to be among the few customers allowed in the store at once.
McCaig sounds momentarily nostalgic, but perks back up to mention that the store is “absolutely hopping”; sales, in fact, are up from last year. Although staff are masked and behind plexiglas, they’re busy with piles of deliveries and pick-up orders. McCaig does many of the deliveries herself (“I work cheap”), and connects with customers from the far-reaches of the city.
An ardent supporter of small presses, McCaig originally intended not to carry any bestsellers – ”you can get those at Shoppers Drug Mart.” However, with so many new customers calling to order mainstream books such as Where the Crawdads Sing, she is quite happy to oblige. “People really are making a decision to support us, which we’re really grateful for.”