Mile End | Louis Penny SW Welch threatened to close the bookstore

Dissatisfaction with the social networks surrounding a bookstore in the Mile End district of Montreal, which is in danger of closing following a rent increase by real estate agency Schiller-Lavi, has resonated with Estri, where the best-selling novelist Louis Penny lives Armand is investigated by Gama.

Jessica Bufflot
The Canadian Press

> (Back) Read Mark Kasivi’s column “Who still buys books? “

By inviting the general public to promote local trade, the author showed his admiration for the area that was once part of the plateau-mont-royal borough where she lived.

“We must support and protect our bookstores. […] They are a key part of a powerful society. Like all small independent businesses, ”she wrote on her Facebook page on Friday.

As of Sunday, this post had nearly 10,000 likes and thousands of shares.

The man, who is preparing a book to be published this fall in collaboration with former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, also pointed to an event organized by the Civil Movement Mile End Collective in support of the SW Welch bookstore.

“People are welcome to bring a book and read it online, they are waiting their turn to buy a book in the store (if they can afford it), and come together to support history, culture and mile end small business owners,” she said.

The event, to be held on March 13, was baptized: “Who still buys books today? ”

The business model of a used bookstore on Saint-Whiter Street is a direct response to what a building owner thinks is old.

On Instagram, in the midst of the health crisis, many condemned messages, such as the Cavalier attitude or lack of empathy for the employer, revived the debate over the gentrification of the most desirable areas of the metropolis.

Losing uniqueness

Faced with the greed of business owners, Mile End residents, like Zylon Twerdy, who lived there for 2015, fear it will lose its uniqueness.

He was sorry to see some of his favorite businesses closing one after another. The move of a cafe called Kagibi, now established in Little Italy, is a big blow to those who once fell in love with the city by frequently visiting this iconic place in the area.

“Closing these businesses is a tragedy,” he said. I believe real estate developers are partly to blame. Apparently the error is not entirely with them. ”

However, he explained the situation. According to him, most owners who own buildings in the area do not live in the area.

“They care less about the borough’s social and economic fabric, which is unique and on the companies that built its reputation. Real estate ulation hags are pursuing independent businesses that are the area’s attraction,” he said.

Also a member of the Mile End ensemble, many of these agents would like to see big chains like Lululemon and Starbucks caught.

“But if they continue their plan, our neighborhood will look like other neighbors on the planet,” he said. And I don’t think residents want or need anything. ”