A chapter will be ending for Ottawa’s book-loving community because the Nicholas Hoare bookstore is going out of business.
Nicholas Hoare has been on Sussex Drive since 1994. This year the store’s landlord, the National Capital Commission, announced rent would be increasing by 72 per cent. This was simply more than the bookstore could afford, according to the owner.
Much of Ottawa’s arts community is enraged by the decision to increase rent so significantly. Some are arguing that the NCC should subsidize businesses that contribute to the city’s cultural well-being. This is because the NCC’s mandate is to be the steward for Ottawa’s character. Who wants to see Sussex lined with McDonald’s or other chain stores just because those are the companies that can afford high rent?
Yes, maintaining an artistic and culturally vibrant city is important. However, this does not mean that the NCC should reduce rent prices for certain businesses.
The onus should be on the businesses to be entrepreneurial and competitive.
Although there is nothing comparable to the smell of books and the crisp feeling of opening the spine of a new novel, purely print-based bookstores are becoming anachronisms. Print is dying because people are reading from tablets and even when they order print books, they do it online. Those in the literary industry must brainstorm and implement strategies to survive.
Some bookstores have begun selling e-books in addition to physical books. Others have branched out from selling only books and are setting up coffee shops on location too. Stores can also increase the number of events they host such as author visits and book clubs.
According to the events calendar on Nicholas Hoare’s website, there are very few events at its Ottawa location.
The bookstore could even organize a fundraiser to raise money for the rent increase. It is all about being creative.
Furthermore, Nicholas Hoare may have been able to afford the higher rent had it been more innovative in its marketing efforts. On the bookstore’s website it says: “With a Name Like That, Who Needs Advertising?” Nicholas Hoare was clearly wrong about the impact of its name.
In this day and age, name recognition for a small bookstore isn’t enough to attract the business needed to survive. It was presumptuous for the bookstore to believe its name would be sufficient to attract enough consumers to make it thrive.
In a broader context, it is important that the NCC does not set the precedent that it will subsidize cultural businesses. First, how would the NCC choose which businesses are worthy of protection? Second, as much as government protection of the arts is necessary to some extent, it is not the NCC’s job to sponsor bookstores.
The government already funds the arts through grants to both organizations and individual artists.
There is no reason it should be subsidizing arts-related businesses too. In a time of economic prosperity, maybe it would be appropriate to broaden government arts funding. However, with budget cuts across the board, the arts should not be given priority when it comes to government spending.
Furthermore, the NCC can still fulfill its mandate and safeguard the cultural vibe of Sussex by ensuring that the new tenant of the venue fits in with the historic and upscale atmosphere of the area.
Without Nicholas Hoare, Sussex will survive and continue to be a tourist destination. There are numerous other businesses that can rent the space without ruining the district.
There are also many bookstores in the surrounding area for Nicholas Hoare’s old customers to frequent.
The bottom line is that, although the closure of Nicholas Hoare is a loss for Ottawa, this is an opportunity for a new beginning on Sussex. It will be interesting to see what replaces the bookstore. Hopefully, cultural businesses will learn a lesson from this and focus business plans on remaining relevant and surviving in this age of technology and rapidly evolving arts consumption.