A couple turns a new page at Westgate Books in Saskatoon

Luke Syrnick and Nikki Sirett purchased used bookstore Westgate Books in Saskatoon in the spring of 2024, after being loyal customers there for years.

Their first task was to organize the inventory of 100,000 books, since the previous owner kept the list in his head. The couple is therefore in the process of setting up a digital system to more easily find volumes and take into account the rarest books.

There was box after box. There is always some, but we are working on itlance Luke Syrnick. We can cross [l’entrepôt] NOW. Everything you could be looking for is here.

The new digital inventory system will also take into account the credit of customers who bring their user books to them. The bookstore was famous for its slips of paper that tracked customers’ credit.

The new owners don’t want to change the place too much, but they want to leave their mark. They eliminated gender categories on the shelves. So Canadian literature, for example, is no longer divided into two sections for men and women writers.

Some people were afraid things would change too much, but really, we haven’t changed muchassure Luke Syrnick. We organize the store. We are modernizing it a little and we are trying to make it a very inviting space where everyone can browse.

The couple’s cat, Cracker, is another addition. They are also considering holding community events and workshops in the bookstore, such as letter-writing evenings.

Luke Syrnick, an animator-graphic designer from Prince Albert, and Nikki Sirett, an artist from British Columbia, met in Vancouver about ten years ago. They moved to Saskatoon in 2021, where they became regulars at the bookstore. Two years later, they learned the owner wanted to sell.

We both really love used bookstoresexplains Luke Syrnick. We talked about opening a bookstore, but it wasn’t really serious. Then the opportunity came up to buy one and we thought we had to jump on it.

The bookstore almost closed in 2015, because the owner wanted to demolish the building where it was located. However, former owner Ann Dutnall decided to donate the inventory to an employee, allowing her to move to the mall Louis the 8 th.

Today, the most popular books are new fiction, self-help books, and romantasya genre that combines sentimental novel and fantasy. Young adult literature and manga are also popular.

It might surprise many people that the majority of our clients are young people.according to Luke Syrnick. Many people seem to think that young people no longer read or buy books. This is not truehe adds.

He emphasizes that the more affordable prices of used books and the pleasure of reading bring customers back. There are more opportunities to find something you didn’t know you were looking for – a little treasurenote Luke Syrnick.

With information from Jeremy Warren