How Tig Notaro and Reese Witherspoon opened a bookstore in rural Nova Scotia (sort of)
The saga of The Curious Cat
Not long after the start of the pandemic in 2020, the small town of Antigonish in rural Nova Scotia lost its only bookstore. Local book nerds (including me) were heartbroken. It was so nightmarish to imagine living in a town without a bookstore that I started hatching a plan to open an indie bookstore myself.
Since I have zero experience as a retailer, I turned to the internet for guidance. The experts’ advice for aspirational bookstore-owners was clear: only an idiot would open a bookstore. It’s a money-losing venture; only feasible for the independently wealthy or people who get their kicks out of working 80 hours a week for below-poverty wages. I am neither of those things. And yet, I continued to pursue the idea because every town needs a bookstore. Right?
Or was I delusional? Was this just my personal bookstore fetish clouding my judgment? This was the question looping through my mind as the pandemic dragged on and our town remained bookstore-less.
I needed a definitive answer to the question of how insane it would be to open a bookstore. So I wrote in to the comedy advice podcast Don’t Ask Tig - hosted by one of my favorite comedians, Tig Notaro. I asked her if our town really needed a bookstore, or if “an indie bookstore is an unnecessary indulgence that only book nerds like me feel is important”. To my utter delight, she addressed the question on the show together with her guest, the queen of book nerds herself, Reese Witherspoon. Here’s the audio from the episode where they answer my bookstore question:
Both Reese and Tig were quite clear that every community needs a bookstore and that I simply HAD to open one ! So I was not being delusional. Or perhaps I shared my bookstore delusions with Tig and Reese, which put me in stellar company.
After hearing this episode of Don’t Ask Tig, some friends of mine contacted me to ask if I was seriously considering opening a bookstore. Because THEY WANTED IN! They offered to manage it for me. But I had an even better idea: they could be the owners.
You see, I don’t really have the disposition to run a bookstore. Or any store. I like faffing about my house and little hobby farm thinking thoughts and writing songs and contemplating ideas. I don’t have the patience or head for numbers to deal with inventory or calculate break-even points. Or deal with customers, frankly.
And so, my pals Robin and Donovan took the idea of the bookstore and ran with it. A few months later, The Curious Cat Books & Tea opened its doors to the public.
Thanks to generous support from John and Dorothy of Harp Publishing, the store was able to acquire a small inventory of books when they opened on July 23, 2021. And despite my fears that a bookstore was just a silly indulgence and not a viable business idea, The Curious Cat is absolutely thriving! The shelves are loaded with books and they have a constant stream of customers. And having tea for sale in addition to books - an idea floated by Reese and Tig - was a huge boon.
I wrote back to Don't Ask Tig with an update on the bookstore and to thank her for being instrumental in getting the bookstore off the ground. Tig read this update at the start of her show in August of 2021:
And so the hand of fate has manifested a bookstore in Antigonish. I am certain that it would not have happened had Tig and Reese not addressed this question on the podcast.
I am now fully convinced that independent bookstores are vital to the health of a community. Not only because you can buy books there (and books are a force for good in this world), but because they appeal to a certain demographic who often find themselves hovering on the outskirts of society. The nerdy bookworms (obviously), but also the quirky dreamers and misfits who feel safest when surrounded by books and book lovers. The pride flag hanging in the window of The Curious Cat is a clear sign that this bookstore - like many indie bookstores I know - is a safe space for LGBTQ+ folks. I am beyond excited to once again be living in a town with a bookstore at its heart.
Absolutely horrifying to think there is a town anywhere - especially a university town like Antigonish - where there is no independent bookstore. Congratulations to the owners of The Curious Cat, the book lovers and buyers of Antigonish, and especially you, Justin, for lighting that fire with just the pages of hope and chutzpah. And hooray to Tig and Reese for blowing on the embers!
It is indeed a fine store where the children of nerds are also welcomed and can find any number of books but also stuffies, trinkets, and special things. A Curious Cat gift card is among the top birthday presents now circulating at parties, and received with great delight!
As a main street wanderer, it's always a pleasure to stop by and chat with the owners.