In this new instalment of our 5 questions with series, we interview Robyn York, the co-owner of Beach Reads Bookshop. Located in Port Dover, ON, Beach Reads Bookshop carries new & used books, vinyl records, music, vintage paperbacks, picture books, art supplies, and gifts for book nerds and bibliophiles.

1. Which author would you most like to have for an event in your store (living or dead)?

Kurt Vonnegut.

2. What attracted you to bookselling?

I've been a bookstore kid for as long as I could read (starting with Coles in the Peterborough mall growing up, as my small town didn't get a bookstore until I moved to Ottawa for university, All Books on Rideau circa 2002, Type Books and Pandemonium whenever I am in Toronto, and any art gallery bookstore I happen upon), and I love books, new books, old books — especially beautifully designed and well cared for ones.
Publishing obscure art books throughout my 30s and seeing things from the creator/publisher side gave me an interesting perspective on bookselling, and before we opened Beach Reads, my only experience selling books was tabling at Art Book fairs — a VERY different selling experience. That said, the same basic goal overrides all bookselling: to find the right book for someone is magical.

3. What's the toughest time you’ve had as a bookseller and how did you tackle it or what did you take away from it?

Every Christmas we have parents and grandparents seeking the perfect book for their sporty tween or gamer teen, something that will "get them interested in reading" — and no manga or graphic novels. These can be tricky interactions for both customer and bookseller because the magic book that will get someone into reading is so very personal. If it doesn't resonate, it will sit on the shelf collecting dust and audible sighs. To tackle these, we get in the best sporty or minecraft-y novels we can find (thank you, Jason Reynolds and Max Brooks) and do our best. In January, when someone comes in and says, "It was perfect and she loved it, is there another in the series?" I know we have done our job.

4. What is the most pressing issue facing bookselling today?

Resisting the evil empire continues to be a big issue and trying to help customers understand why we need to keep this resistance up, without coming across as angry bitter paper pushers, can be a tricky line to toe. Also AI. I'm very happy/relieved everytime I see a large group protesting the use of AI. Everyone needs to read Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder and take heed from the wacky and wise Dav.

5. What forthcoming book are you most excited about?

Arundhati Roy's Mother Mary Comes to Me is my most anticipated fall read. And Adam Shoalts's 🍁 Vanished Beyond the Map because he has a special resonance in our area, and his books bring so many folks out to hear him speak at an event we host.

BONUS: What is the most surprising thing in your day to day that you spend more time on than you were prepared for?

Writing the monthly(ish) newsletter and bookkeeping. Tracking stock and sales is a lot of work and I'm thankful for people who are much better at that stuff than I am. Thank you, BookNet!

Thank you Robyn for answering our questionnaire! Read more instalments of our 5 questions with series here.

Are you an independent bookseller, small publisher, or library staffer interested in being featured in our 5 questions with blog series? Send us an email!