‘It’s a wonderful community’: Calgary’s oldest independent bookstore is celebrating 50 years

Generations of Calgary readers have visited a little independent bookstore over the decades. Now, Owl's Nest Books is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Owl’s Nest Books is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Since 1975, the independent bookstore has been a community hub for readers, clubs and local authors launching their work.

Ryan Smith started working at the store in 2020, and two years later put in an offer to purchase the business.

“I tell people it was a fantasy, not a dream,” he said.

“Like, it was just one of those things you never thought would actually come true and then there it is, offered right to me. … How do you say no?”

Smith’s partner is Judith Duthie.

The two are hosting a number of local authors on the weekend of June 6 to celebrate the store’s 50 years.

They’ll sign their books and visitors can learn more about the ownership history through a number of artifacts on display.

The store and its customers embrace the long history of Owl’s Nest Books.

“The last few years, we’ve seen an incredible shop-local movement and that momentum has continued,” said Smith.

“Every couple of months, we think maybe it’ll die out, people will go back to doing their thing, and nope—people continue to show up, people continue to be excited about all the local bookstores, including us.

“It’s a wonderful community.”

James Highborough-Ross opened Owl’s Nest Books on Bow Trail in 1975.

Evelyn de Mille took over in 1979.

In 1996, the store changed hands again when Michael Hare and his business partner Brenda Mackie took over and soon moved the store from Bow Trail to its current location in Britannia Plaza.

Smith purchased the store in 2022 and Duthie joined him a year later.

Hare got his start working at the store in the early 1990s and says Highborough-Ross came up with the name that’s stood the test of time.

“It was one of the conditions that Mrs. de Mille had for us (when we put in the offer to purchase the store)—we had to keep the name,” said Hare.

“We had told her we wanted to move the store. She was a little troubled by the notion of moving it away because it was very much a community-oriented store.”

Smith says customers come from all around the Calgary area to support Owl’s Nest Books and other independent bookstores because of the service they get from staff who in many cases have read the books people are looking for.

“You can go to the big chains and you can get a book for a discount,” he said.

“But you’re not getting that recommendation; you’re not seeing what we want to recommend or what Calgary is reading. Our book club section is all about showing what the community is reading.”

The current co-owners and former owners say Owl’s Nest Books has survived and continues to thrive in an age of big bookstores, Amazon home deliveries and e-reading on tablets.

“Books are one of the few media that you can still hand to a friend and have them have the same experience you did with no other fancy hassles,” said Smith.

“And I don’t think that’s going anywhere any time soon.”

Learn more about the store and its plans to celebrate 50 years here at www.owlsnestbooks.com.