Waterloo bookstore turning the page after fire

Thousands of books at Old Goat Books were damaged but CTV’s Spencer Turcotte finds out how they’ll temporarily reopen.

A beloved Uptown Waterloo bookstore is turning the page on an unfortunate chapter.

Old Goat Books was forced to close in December after a fire in the building which houses the bookstore damaged 20,000 books and the store itself.

Owner Erica Nikolaus expected to be closed until at least March.

But in a plot twist, Old Goat Books is now preparing to re-open Saturday just down the road.

“The Uptown Waterloo BIA found us a temporary space at 35 King St. N., which used to be the old Waterloo post office,” said Nikolaus.

Melissa Durrell, who serves as the chair for the BIA’s board of directors, says they wanted to lend a hand during a time of need.

“For business owners, a fire could be detrimental. What can we do to help others get through that? I think that’s what you’re seeing here,” said Durrell.

That help has come in other forms too. In addition to getting the store back in good shape, Woodhouse Restorations is cleaning all those 20,000 books by hand.

“We have to make sure we don’t have fingerprints and the oils on the books,” said Shaun DeLorey, chief operating officer for Woodhouse Restorations. “We use a soot sponge. What it does is it removes all the loose particles after a vacuum. And then we go through the odour ratification process.”

It’s a technique that removes any lingering smell and it seems to be working quite well.

“They smell like books again,” said Nikolaus, referring to how pleased she is with the restoration work so far. “I have had some books in the store that were 300 years old. Those aren’t books that I wanted to say goodbye to.”

Of course, all of this comes at a cost. Restoration estimates were set in December around $80,000. A customer set up an online fundraiser with a goal of $45,000, which is the portion not covered by insurance. Over $21,000 has been raised so far.

Pop-up sales have helped with raising money too.

“Princess Cinemas actually let us use their space in their gallery to run three pop-ups over the last few months,” said Nikolaus.

While there’s no place like home, Nikolaus is finding comfort between the bookshelves, knowing loyal customers will be coming shortly.