Up in Ontario

McNally Robinson in New York

This past weekend I was in Winnipeg and Kenora for a series of writers workshops for Lake of the Woods authors. Before heading out to Kenora I spent a day in Winnipeg and met with Wayne Tefs, a friend and the editor on my novel, Up in Ontario. We talked about a number of things - the writing life, what he was working on, hockey, what I was working on - and he mentioned that the McNally Robinson Booksellers enterprise was expanding to New York.

For the uninitiated, McNally Robinson started as a single, small bookstore in Winnipeg and over the past decade has become a superstore in Winnipeg, a downtown store in Winnipeg, a store in Saskatoon and a store in Calgary. Many people mention to me that the McNally stores are the best in Canada. I have visited all of their locations save the Saskatoon store and I would agree; they all have a great feel about them, as if they're run by folks who love books and readers. The owners, Holly and Paul McNally, can often be seen in the stores, managing day-to-day duties. At an impromtu book signing I did last December in Winnipeg, Paul took my coat and showed me around the store and Holly set me up at a table with a stack of books to sign and stickers to affix to the cover - 'Signed by the Author!'. McNally Robinson has won the Canadian Booksellers Association's Bookseller of the Year award 4 times in the past 10 years.

Now their expansion is hitting the epicentre of publishing, New York city, and it's the next generation leading the charge. The daughter of Holly and Paul, Sarah McNally, stands set to open a bookshop on Prince Street in Manhattan. The New York Times covered the opening over the weekend - Defiant Newcomer Hopes Small Booksellers Still Have a Place - along with CBC - Family-owned Winnipeg bookstore to open New York City branch.

I wish the McNally enterprise and the family the best of luck, as I'm sure many others do too. If you're in New York, make sure to check them out. When I asked Wayne about the sanity of opening a bookstore in New York, Wayne said to me, "They're very smart about their business," and I believe him because the book business is crazy, and to survive in it for long you have to be shrewd or lucky. And luck runs out pretty quick.