Dec 2, 2021
Don Stewart is the
proprietor of MacLeod’s Books at 455 West Pender Street in
downtown Vancouver, a shop famed for its magnificent piles of
books, wide selection and narrow aisles. Stewart bought MacLeod's Books in 1973
from Van Andruss who'd bought it from Don MacLeod a few
years after it opened
in 1964. He
moved the business into larger premises
in 1981 only to see the place burn down the next year - so he had
to start again from scratch.
Ironically, for the past ten years he's had to contend with Vancouver Fire Department regulations in order just to keep his doors open. Instructed to reduce the number of books in his shop, his only options have been to stuff things in storage and sell as much as he can. Recent zealousness exhibited by the VFD may well be connected in part to the rapaciousness of area developers. Contrary to current rumours the shop will not be closing.
I met
with Don in the stacks of his shop to talk about his career in
bookselling, about homelessness, British Columbia as rich terrain
for all manner of book culture, legendary West Coast
booksellers Stephen
McIntyre and Bill Hoffer, socialism, and anarchy, among other
things.