Q&A: Magpie Books

In conversation with the owners of one of my favourite book stores

Magpie Books owners Julie (left) and Moriah (right)

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always gotten butterflies in my stomach when I walk into a small bookstore. It’s the excitement of the unknown, the intimacy of tight spaces, walls and un-shelved stacks of books, thousands upon thousands of other people’s ideas all in one place. Used and indie bookstores are my favourite, the ones that smell like paper and old dens, that are curated with such delicacy that you want to see into the brain of the store owner and ask what they were thinking, feeling, when they chose their store’s collection. I had the opportunity to do just that with Julie and Moriah, the owners of Magpie Books in Edmonton:

Meaghan Archer [MA]: There is a high level of inclusivity at the shop, from the way staff interact with customers to the books on the shelf. How have you maintained this level of natural warmth and acceptance?

Magpie Books [MB]: This is such a kind thing to say! Without sounding too corny, I think we just really value this little shop and the community that we are part of. We genuinely love our customers – so many have become close friends – and we truly love books! Those sentiments make it easy to enthusiastically greet the folks who come through our door and foster those relationships with our customers, our sales reps, publishers and the postal and shipping workers who deliver our books.

MA: You have one of the most incredible collections of work that is always rotating. How do you select what you bring into the store? 

MB: We work with several sales reps across publishers and distributors that meet with us and learn the impetus behind the store and curate lists of books that should be on our radar. Much of the shop is also books that we find interesting and think people should read. We also take note of what customers are special ordering through our website – sometimes incredible books slip through the cracks because of lack of marketing, and we really look at what customers think looks good and want to read. 

MA: What would you say, then, is your mission behind the curation of your collection?

MB: People often come into the shop and, after a look around, say that they are seeing books at Magpie that they haven’t seen at other shops. I think that is demonstrative of what we are trying to achieve with our curation. We do our best to champion books by smaller presses, as well as works by authors who have historically been underrepresented due to race, gender or sexual orientation. It is an honour for us to prioritize the work of Palestinian writers, for example. We are also passionate about topics such as abolition, reproductive justice, labour and liberation. 

MA: The shop is very involved in the community, from hosting readings to monthly book clubs. Can you speak to the impact that community has on a small business? And what do you do to continually foster that sense of community?

MB: Community has a huge impact on a small business. I think we can see that very clearly the past few years with small businesses closing their doors. There really has to be a conscious effort to resist the convenience of places like Amazon, Indigo, big chains. Showing up for our friends, family, and community has never been about convenience — it is hard work to choose to show up and support our friends when they have needs, especially when we have policies and structures that make it even harder. 

For us, that means that on top of running the business side of the store, we want to continually be able to show up in different ways for our community. Hosting Naloxone training events is important to both of us as people living in the prairies and seeing how policy and policing treat our neighbours, and how it is necessary for people to receive training on drug poisonings and how best to act in potential situations. 

To the best of our capacity, we open our store for local groups to host events, and we also do our best to use our platform to share information about protests, rallies, and events happening in the city. 

Additionally, we like to partner with other small businesses in the city to lift each other up. We have hosted a film screening at Metro Cinema, we have a little shelf of books at Doughnut Party, and we have a fantastic relationship with our neighbours, Kind Ice Cream, just to name a few! 

And, of course, our book clubs are so special to us. It’s such a great chance for readers, a traditionally fairly introverted group, to come hang out in a gentle space. There are always a diverse array of opinions and perspectives, but people are always respectful and kind and funny, and it’s really a good time every single month.

MA: What is your favourite book of all time and why? 

Moriah: It is definitely hard to pick just one but probably Hamnet at the moment. I love it a lot. 

Julie: The Wall by Marlen Haushofer eclipses everything else in my mind. It’s the only one of her books that was translated into English, which just makes me desperate to know about her other writing. I will also always read anything by Hanif Abdurraqib, Isabella Hammad, and Iris Murdoch (a fave since I was a teenager).

MA: What are you reading now? And what are you looking forward to reading next? 

Moriah: I’m reading a lot for my research at the moment. So, Bead Talk edited by Carmen Robertson, Judy Anderson, and Katherine Boyer. Also reading a bit of theory on capitalism and commodities, so Wages Against Artworks by Leigh Claire La Berge and a bit of Marx. I hope to read something a bit more recreational soon — a romance perhaps (Out on a Limb is on my list).

Julie: I just finished the Magpie book club book (Mister, Mister) this morning, so I am on the precipice of a new book! On my list to start next are To Anyone Who Ever Asks, the Connie Converse biography, by Howard Fishman; Behind You is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj; The Abandoners by Begoña Gómez Urzaiz; and probably revisiting some of my classic Iris Murdoch.

You can find Magpie Books online and on Instagram, and if you’re in Edmonton, be sure to stop by the store to peruse their incredible collection of books, and say hello, of course.