Bye to Bryan Prince Bookseller
Eight years ago, I met my husband halfway around the world. And since then, I’ve inherited a whole host of Fraser family perks much closer to home. Several hand-me-down MacBooks. Delicious fried wontons each holiday season. And a father-in-law who is as big a bookworm as I am.
Every family Christmas, without fail, I’ve been the recipient of one or two (or three!) carefully chosen novels from his bookshop of choice, Bryan Prince Bookseller in Hamilton, Ontario. Those books usually came with a story – written by a local author, chosen because they were well-reviewed in The Globe and Mail, or selected based on the recommendation of one of the store’s owners.
Last December, during one of those lazy days between Christmas and New Year’s, I finally visited Bryan Prince for myself. My father-in-law came too, introducing me to Kerry Cranston-Reimer, a longtime shop employee who, along with another co-worker, took over ownership of the store seven years ago. Together, we browsed leisurely, selected a stack of books to buy, and chatted with Cranston about how business was going.
Little did we know it wasn’t going so well. Just a few months later, at the end of March, Bryan Prince closed its doors for good.
In a press release, Cranston was quick not to lay blame for the store’s shuttering on the death of the written word or of independent bookstores. Instead, she celebrated what the bookstore meant to its community for its 29 years of operation:
“Bryan Prince Bookseller has always maintained the idea that our bookshop is more than just a place to buy a book- it is a place to meet, to exchange ideas, and to feel connected to the larger world.”
Bryan Prince Bookseller, I barely knew you. But this weekend I’ll go to Greenlight Bookstore, Books are Magic, and Word Bookstore in your honor.
RIP Bryan Prince, but long live the independent bookstore.
