There was an air of unreality at the Gladstone last night as Toronto’s Queen West community said goodbye to the iconic Pages bookstore, which closes this week.
The place was packed as writers and avid readers told stories and sharesd memories of what was the go-to spot for books on cultural and political commentary. Indicative of the value of the shop – and the acumen of those who chose what books got stocked – is the fact that at the end of the mammoth store-closing sale, there was a paltry 200 books left over.
After a two-hour tribute, owner and proprietor Marc Glassman took the mic himself to thank his patrons and his community, reading a series of lists including one cataloguing the questions most frequently asked of the store clerks and another surveying objects left behind by book buyers.
He was able to keep it together until he he read from a speech written, he confessed, while very drunk. He recalled Pages’ early days when he knew everyone in the neighbourhood and the big retail franchises hadn’t yet moved in. As he honoured those that had passed away, he was visibly shaken and almost unable to finish.
But – and this what I mean by an air of unreality – Glassman isn’t necessarily going anywhere. True, when he and I first talked about his difficulties with his lease a few years ago, he cited his advancing age and questioned whether it was worth carrying on. But as recently as weeks ago, he was still fielding offers on possible properties for the bookstore.
Even if the bookstore itself stays dormant, Glassman is looking at plans to sell product online and he intends to continue his excellent This Is Not A Reading Series, so he’ll be on the scene, for sure. He’s an accomplished film writer and his creativity is alive and well.
I just have this feeling that Glassman is going to be like The Who, that UK band that played one farewell tour after another. Granted, Pages as a community focal point is no more, but this is by no means Marc Glassman’s last goodbye.[rssbreak]
