In this new instalment of our 5 questions with series, we interview Gladys VALLEE-AGRICOLE, the owner of Terrier Books. Located in Sooke, British Columbia, Terrier Books is an independent bookstore with an eco-conscious mindset. They carry books for everybody, with a special love towards picture books. Their goal is to provide people with affordable books that have a positive impact on the planet.

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

I would absolutely LOVE having Diana Gabaldon at the bookstore. That would be a dream come true. She's an amazing writer and I read pretty much anything that she writes on any subject.

2. What attracted you to bookselling?

People and books. I truly love customer service and being able to help people find the perfect book is one of my favourite things. I honestly believe that books are magical and I've witnessed many times what I call "book miracles" — when someone finds exactly the book for them or for someone they love.

For example, one day I had a family, originally from Hungary, come in the store. They were living in Victoria, BC and visiting Sooke for the day. They were looking for a book for their 11-year-old daughter. We went on talking about the Harry Potter book series and, when I heard them speaking a language that I didn't recognize, I showed them the few Harry Potter books that were not in English.

To my and their surprise I had a Hungarian copy of Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone! I didn't know the language of the book when I got it but I love carrying books I know in all sorts of languages. No need to say that this copy was obviously made for them and they ended up buying it!

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?

So far, my toughest time was, without hesitation, trying to make sense of the ordering process for new books. I have been working in the book industry for many years and working in many different bookstores (from indies to big chains) but even with all this experience, learning the system was terribly confusing. There are so many different elements/parties in the industry (distributors, publishers, representatives, etc.) that it's hard to know the role of everyone.

I should also add that having books in English and French doesn't make it easier since both industries are quite different as well and have very different sets of rules (from different percentage of discounts to different ordering processes). Now, after almost eight months since the grand opening, I finally feel more comfortable with how things work. It took all my patience and lots of sharing my frustrations with friends and family though!

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

Unfortunately, especially in North America, the book industry is still a bit behind compared to other industries regarding sustainability. It's a big focus of Terrier Books, as it is what I call an eco-conscious bookstore. Meaning that we think about the environmental impact of almost everything that we do, as well as the type of books we carry.

For example, we sell used, new, and remaindered books (this being a direct product of our overproduction problem). For new books specifically, we try to only carry books printed in North America to limit the carbon footprint of the book. Unfortunately, getting printing information on books before ordering can be quite tricky so sometimes we make mistakes and have new books printed overseas. Also, all of our non-book products are made eco-consciously in Canada.

These are just a few example of the things we do in the bookstore as part of our environmental values.

5. What forthcoming book are you most excited about?

I can't wait for Book 10 in the Outlander series by author Diana Gabaldon. Patience is key here since she takes five years minimum researching and writing a book. But the wait is always completely worth it to me!

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

Social media and doing any promotional posters. I'm working on it though! And I try very hard not to spend half an hour on the size of a font or rewriting a sentence over and over.

Thank you Gladys 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!