Used bookstore opens in Banff

Posted By Larissa Barlow

Posted 1 year ago

Larissa Barlow/Banff Crag & Canyon. Chris Donaghue has opened up a used bookstore in the Bear Street Mall, called Analogs Used Books and Music.

By Larissa Barlow

Larissa@thecrag.ca

A new bookstore has opened up in Banff.

Analogs Used Books and Music, located on the main level of the Bear Street Mall, opened for business April 1.

Owner Chris Donaghue started with a limited amount of stock but was quickly building up his inventory as people spotted the used bookstore signs in the small retail space by the stairs in the mall.

“Anything you’ve ever seen in a used bookstore is what I plan on having eventually,” he said.

Originally from Brockville, Ont., Donaghue lived in Banff 15 years ago, but it wasn’t until a recent visit that he decided to open up a business here.

Staying at the YWCA, another visitor travelling through gave him a book so he didn’t have to carry it with him on the rest of his journey. It gave Donaghue the idea for a used bookstore as a business where travellers could drop off a book and pick up another while locals could search for hidden gems.

Donaghue said when he came to town a month ago he didn’t know the Banff Book & Art Den had closed, or that there was an Indigo Spirit bookstore in town. But that hasn’t deterred him.

“I don’t mind competing with Indigo, whereas I would have felt bad taking business form the Book & Art Den,” he said.

And Donaghue is undaunted by competition from the book giant.

“I offer a service Indigo doesn’t. I buy books and they don’t,” he said, noting his books will probably still beat their prices.

“With the economy the way it is now, I don’t think anyone needs to spend $40 on a book, even with 30 per cent off.”

Donaghue has worked in several bookstores from Victoria, BC to Paris, France.

He took inspiration from his time working in Paris at the bookstore Shakespeare and Company, which caters to a niche market selling English-language books in a French speaking city.

“That was something I was hoping to do here – create a niche market,” he said.

To provide a local touch, Donaghue will be personally writing reviews on some of the books in his store and is accepting reviews from the public, creating a unique “staff picks” section.

“It’s a personal touch that a chain can’t offer,” he said.

Analogs will have their grand opening on April 17. Donaghue also plans to have an open stage twice a month for poetry, spoken word and acoustic music.

Topic guidelines: We welcome your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers.