Eco-conscious online bookstore opens in Sooke

A new online bookstore has opened in Sooke.

Terrier Books has a unique angle: they sell books that would otherwise be headed for the landfill.

The store was started by Gladys Vallee, who moved to Sooke from Montreal last year, and has worked in bookstores of all different sizes, ranging from small independent shops to large, nationwide stores. She also works at the new library in Sooke.

“I always work with books. That’s really my happy place. It also brought me a lot of knowledge about the industry working with the different kinds of stores,” she said.

Working at those stores gave her a behind-the-scenes perspective on how bookstores work. Often stores will buy new titles in bulk, selling them until they lose appeal. Then in many cases, the remainders, as Vallee calls it, end up in a landfill. Her store aims to stop that from happening by selling them through her online store.

Vallee also sells used books from her sizeable collection, which she built up during the pandemic.

Vallee hopes to focus on selling in her community first to help cut down on the carbon footprint of shipping elsewhere. She says the response from the community so far has been enthusiastic.

Further down the line, she said the store might sell new books if they find a publisher who prints books with eco-friendly ink and on recycled paper.

Terrier Books can be found online at terrierbooks.com.

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