A popular downtown bookstore may live on if its customers are willing to take the plunge into ownership themselves.
The owner of Aqua Books and Eat! bistro was overwhelmed with pleas to stay open after he announced plans to close down in the fall.
Now, Kelly Hughes is planning to downsize the bookstore and convert it and the accompanying theatre and events room into a not-for-profit operation.
The new organization will be known as Winnipeg's Cultural City Hall Inc., an informal moniker Hughes has been using for years to describe the screenings of short films by local filmmakers, poetry readings, puppet plays for adults and music that he presents on a daily basis.
"We're the second-busiest arts and culture venue in Canada. We've been trying to make Winnipeg a better place as it gets taken over by the Dollaramas and Moxie's of the world," he said.
In order to ensure the long-term viability of the operation, however, Hughes needs to sell the 8,400-square-foot building. He would hate to sell it to some multi-national corporation so he's hoping his customers will buy shares in a co-op.
Things aren't as rosy on the food side of things. Eat! is expected to close down in the coming weeks but Hughes said he's hopeful that another restaurateur will move in.
- Compiled by Geoff Kirbyson
from Western Investor November 2011
