Leslie and Peter Roster have been the owners of Giros Books for more than 35 years. They’re looking forward to spending more time with their grandchildren.
Girol Books is set to close its doors this spring after more than 35 years of supplying local customers with Spanish and Latin American books.
The store will continue selling its books through an online portal after its location on Somerset Street closes down at the end of May.
This switch from walk-in to virtual store is not an attempt to cut back on expenses, says the store'smanager, Leslie Roster. She says the bookstore, the only one of its kind in Ottawa, is still profitable.
But running the storefront takes a lot of time, she acknowledges. Going online would allow her and her husband, Peter Roster, to keep the business while freeing up more time to spend with their grandchildren, she says.
“Leslie wanted more free time, and I certainly don’t blame her after 36 years,” says Peter Roster, co-founder of Girol.
This won’t be a dramatic change for the bookstore. In fact, since Girol first opened its doors in 1975 it has been supplying universities, libraries, and different organizations throughout Canada and the U.S. with books of, and about, literature in Spanish.
“The bulk of the business is mail, so we might as well just do it through our website,” says Leslie Roster. The bookstore already has an online catalogue that allows buyers to browse through the titles available at the store.
Customers will still be able to reach the store by email or by phone, says Leslie Roster. “Everything is going to stay the same, except they are not going to be able to walk through the front door.”But this detail could be a turn-off for the frequent walk-in customers.
Being able to read a book instantly after buying it on the spur of the moment is something that mail orders can’t deliver, says Wendy Ordonez, a Spanish teacher. Having a bookstore in Ottawa with a wide range of literature in Spanish is an important resource, she acknowledges. She often sent her students to Girol to buy material for her classes.
The advantage of being able to skim through the books is something her students won’t have after the end of May, she says. “It’s definitely a negative thing. Not for me because I already have the books I need, but for my students, because they won’t have as much access to the literature.”
Despite this change, she says it’s very likely she will continue to buy her books from Girol, even if it has to be online. It isn’t only the kind of material supplied at the bookstore, but also the service she has received that motivated her to go back to the store.
“Leslie is a great literary advisor and I think that’s an important part of the bookstore.”
This personalized service will help the store continue growing online, says Catalina Rodriguez, the manager’s assistant at Girol. The store has always hired one person to help with the orders, and most of the time they have been university students.
Rodriguez, a Carleton University student, has been helping the Rosters since 2007. Over the years, she says, she has noticed that knowledge about their products is an important part of the business.
“Leslie and Peter have created a kind of personal relationship with most of their customers, so I think that they will continue to buy from the online store,” she says.
For Rodriguez, the change won’t be too dramatic either. She knew from months ago about the Rosters’ plans. All this means, she says, is that she will have to begin a new chapter in her life. “I learned a lot next to Leslie for the past four years, but I think it’s time I find and internship in what I’m studying and move on to something else.”
The store will be having a discount spring sale from March 21 until May 21. Leslie Roster says they want to reduce the amount of books they’ll have to move to a storage site.
Though the change may seem dramatic for some, says Leslie Roster, she and Peter Roster are confident this is the way to go. “It’s been an interesting ride and I think we’re changing with the times."