Trina Berlo photo: Curiosity House Books owner Rina Barone (centre) will welcome past owners, including Chris and Pat Raible, and patrons to a birthday party Saturday. Local authors will also be in the house, as the anniversary coincides with Authors for Indies day.
Creemore’s bookstore has been saved many times.
At each junction in its 20-year history, Curiosity House Books has attracted new owners, determined to keep the doors open.
Since the fall, the bookstore is owned by Rina Barone and Chris Dunk, the hosts of an anniversary party Saturday that will bring together authors, patrons and former owners, including The Raibles, the original proprietors.
“Chris and I are honoured to be a part of something that has been in the community so long and is so appreciated,” said Barone. “We are sort of continuing the tradition that Pat and Chris [Raible] started 20 years ago. We are the stewards of the store, taking it into the next chapter.”
The bookstore’s story begins in 1991 when the Raibles were in Creemore one weekend, while staying at their vacation home in Mulmur, when they spotted the century-old red brick house on Mill Street that would become Curiosity House Books.
“We were in town doing some shopping and saw a for sale sign,” said Chris. “Pat looked at it and said, ‘That would make a nice bookstore’.”
Chris went in to the real estate office and said, “I am going to see about your bookstore”, said Pat.
Within two weeks they had a signed offer on the building.
Three years later, the house was completely renovated and the Raibles moved north from Toronto after retirement and straight into the business of books.
The bookstore was an early part of the renaissance of Creemore, said Pat. “It was crazy to start a bookstore in a town of 1,200 people but we did.”
“We opened the bookstore as a retirement venture,” said Chris, “but it was much more venture than it was retirement.”
They say they built a reputation on customer service and customer relations, stocking the right books, special ordering, before the advent of the internet and box stores. They started bringing in national newspapers for people, attaching clothespins with the customer’s name, a tradition that continues. They also started the gallery, calling on artist friends from Toronto to hang their work on consignment and several pieces sold.
“We started with our friends because they were willing to support us and before long people were knocking on our door,” said Pat.
“Our very first customers were our friends,” said Pat, “but as time went by, our customers became our friends.”
They weren’t necessarily looking to sell the bookstore, but in 2000 an offer presented itself. The shop was sold to Louise and Tim Richardson.
Catherine Randall was working for Louise six years later when the building was sold and the Richardsons were going to close the store.
Randall said Rowland Fleming and the late Jim Vandewater, faced with the possibility that the village could lose the bookstore, decided to buy the business. Randall managed the store and became a partner in the business.
They set about fixing up their new home, a rented space where Creemore Kitchen restaurant is now.
“I remember moving the boxes of books down the street in Rolie’s trailer… We got kids to help and we moved all the stock down the road,” said Randall.
She said she realized very quickly that there was a need to extend the hours so the store began opening seven days per week.
Miriam Vince, who was part of the staff, later became the fourth partner, with she and Randall as the faces of the shop.
“The e-book came along and that was challenging but we made it through that thanks to the community,” said Randall. “It’s an amazing community. People who come to the area from Toronto would go into stores or libraries and write down the books they wanted and then they would either e-mail me or come to the store on weekends and order books, like lots of books. They really kept the store viable. It was really very heartwarming and amazing and we tried to provide the best service that we could and I think we did.”
In 2012, the owners of the building decided to sell, prompting a lot of soul searching, said Randall.
The Creemore Echo published an article announcing that the business would close and in less than a week, a savior was found.
“Ralph Hicks had called me over the weekend and said ‘you know, I think I am going to buy the store because I don’t want it to close’,” said Randall.
They met with a lawyer and worked out the details and by the time the newspaper went to press the following week, it was done. They moved to the shop’s current location at 178 Mill Street.
“I think it’s really nice that it keeps reinventing itself in, I would say, a different and positive way,” said Randall. “I really think there is a very good future for the bookstore in Creemore because of the community.”
The Raibles agree and are very pleased with the bookstore at 20.
“Each phase the bookstore has gone through has continued its strength,” said Chris.
“How delighted we are with the present owners,” said Pat. “That store is an institution now and Rina and Chris are doing wonders to keep it in place and keep it thriving.”
The anniversary this Saturday coincides with Authors for Indies so during the day Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. six authors will be in the store, including Dan Needles, Elly MacKay, Catherine Gildiner, Cecily Ross, Claire Cameron and Nicole Lundrigan. Cake will be served at noon and there will be an evening reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. All are welcome.