The Book Keeper
The Book KeeperA newspaper clipping from The Book Keeper’s grand opening on September 27, 1980 hangs on the wall in Susan Chamberlain’s office. The store’s history is often front-of-mind for her. The Book Keeper originally opened in Northgate Plaza and has moved to different locations within the plaza throughout the years. In 2001, Chamberlain purchased the store from owner Kathy Mitchell and in 2010 the store moved to its current location. Not every community has a thriving independent bookstore. “It says a lot about the city and the customer support that we’ve had over the years,” Chamberlain explains.
The Book Keeper carries a wide selection of books and places hundreds of special orders weekly. Customers can look up current inventory or reserve a book on the website: www.sarniabookkeeper.com. Each staff member brings a unique and extensive knowledge of books and they are especially good at making recommendations. Alongside the wide selection of books, the store also offers a variety of giftware, board games, and jewelry. Chamberlain saw the local demand for these items at Poppies, the gift shop inside Bluewater Health that she opened in 2010. “These additions have allowed The Book Keeper to become the ideal place to shop, not only for book lovers, but for anyone who appreciates a unique gift,” shares Chamberlain. During the recent pandemic, The Book Keeper was the go-to place to get puzzles, family board games and of course books to get through the quarantine.
The Book Keeper maintains a strong relationship with the community. Their current location allows them the space and flexibility to host many unique events. With the addition of an Adult Book Club as well as a Teen Book Club they’ve brought many new readers to their store. Preschool Storytime offers a chance for caregivers to bring the kids for some socialization and gives them an opportunity to introduce their love of reading to their children. Drag Queen Storytime has been a new addition and this encompasses The Book Keeper’s love of and commitment to inclusion and diversity. Chamberlain has invited several famous authors to Sarnia for book signings. Some of the most notable authors include Margaret Atwood, Mitch Albom, Commander Chris Hadfield, and retired NHL stars Darryl Sittler and Ken Dryden. When the events are too large to be accommodated in the bookstore, signings are often held at the Sarnia Library Theatre, and other local venues.
The Book Keeper is proud to support many local community organizations. They have run fundraisers for The Hub at Sarnia Lambton Rebound, Diversity Ed Safer Spaces Canada as well as donated profits from Orange Shirt Day to Hillside Elementary School and Aamjiwnaang Kinoomaage Gamig Elementary School.
At the heart of everything they do there is a collaboration between the community’s interests and passions and The Book Keeper’s commitment to contributing to and elevating the connections and conversations in our community. Chamberlain concludes, “Without the community supporting us we would not be able to thrive. We feel that it is our responsibility to also support the community that supports us.”
Related Stories
Arkona Appliances
Arkona Appliances, located at 7333 Arkona Road in Arkona, has been an independently owned and operated business for over 40 years. Bob Mitchell purchased the business 15 years ago. "I had been managing Arkona Appliances for a year...
Special Olympics
In September of 2016, Tana Manchester and her cousin Paige Price went to a Special Olympics Ontario information night. At the end of the presentation, "I knew that this is what my daughter needed, what I needed as a parent, and what the community needed," she explains. That is when she met Anne
Founded in 2020, #charitable sought to solve two of the major problems facing charitable organizations. Having worked alongside the charitable sector for many years, there were a few issues we saw repeatedly. First, there is a significant amount of charitable cannibalism. And secondly, we continu
About Face & Body: Laser & Wellness Clinic
Have you ever dreamed about making a career change? Doing a 180 and going in a completely different direction? Karen Callies did exactly that when she left her job as a sales and marketing rep with the Sarnia Journal and purchased Sarnia's About Face & Body Laser & Wellness Clinic in January.
Related Stories
Great Lakes Bicycle Company
COVID-19 taketh away and COVID-19 giveth back. When the pandemic hit in 2020, it meant Andrew Colborne had to shut down the family business, Great Lakes Dance Academy. With nothing but time on his hands, Andrew turned his attention to making a long-time dream come true by starting the Great Lake Bic
Cassie’s Dog Spa
It has been said necessity is the mother of invention. In Cassie Dalgety's case, motherhood necessitated a rather sudden career change. I was a financial adviser with Scotia Bank for about six years, Cassie says. I worked my way up in that organization and then I had my son. I quickly cam
Motion
Things have changed a bit for In Motion: Health Wellness & Fitness since the doors opened in 2007. When recent graduates Dr. Brendan Carney Kilian and Dr. Luke Winegard started the business, their vision was to create a multidisciplinary clinic that could help clients set and achieve their health
The Inn of the Good Shepherd
The Inn of the Good Shepherd was founded in 1981 by a group from St. John’s Anglican Church on Devine Street, in Sarnia’s south end, who became concerned with the growing needs of the disadvantaged in the area. “When The Inn start...
