Saint John bookstore closes doors after more than 20 years in business

Dave Shoots Bookseller has packed up thousands of books ahead of its closure. (Source: Facebook/Dave Shoots Bookseller)

Tucked away from the bustle of uptown Saint John, N.B., Wendy Matheson spent more than two decades nestled in her cozy spot on Coburg Street, surrounded by thousands of books. It was a collection of tomes that attracted bibliophiles from across the Maritimes, many of them taking hours to peruse the shelves and chat with Matheson.

Matheson has been counting down the time she has left in the space and with her loyal customers; Saturday is her last official day at the store. After 23 years, Dave Shoots Bookseller is closing its doors and moving onto a new chapter.

“I love the building as much or more than my own house,” Matheson said. “The thing I’ll miss the most are the people who come in. I’ll be sad not to have that daily contact with interesting people.”

Dave Shoots Bookseller’s roots in the community stretch back decades. Matheson said her father, who operated at flea markets for years, moved into the store in 2000 and she was with him from the beginning. Matheson established an online presence for the business in 2002 and in 2019 she fully took over for her ailing father.

Matheson, who said she has to leave the store due to a massive rent increase at the building, announced the impending closure back in March, giving customers plenty of time to come in to say their goodbyes to the store and to stock up on books.

“People have been extremely supportive but angry that it’s happening,” she said. “I have several customers who have been longtimers who are extremely upset.

“I decided not to leave in a big panic so we started moving stuff in October. We’ve moved almost 400 boxes in the last six-to-eight weeks.”

Matheson plans to keep Dave Shoots Bookseller alive in an online capacity, storing thousands of books in her basement. She said the biggest adjustment will be going from seeing people every day at the store to working alone at home, but she has a plan to maintain the human touch with her business.

“I’m hoping to do Wednesdays with Wendy where anyone can come to my house and have a cookie and pick up a book,” she said.

Despite reaching the end of this chapter for the store, Matheson is hopeful there are more pages to be written for the long-running business.

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