The power of the written word

 

 

By Julianna Bonnett

Gabrielle Zevin once said, “A place is not really a place without a bookstore.”

Many people cannot say their hobby is their vocation but Roger Wurdemann, owner of Juniper Used and Rare books can. No matter what kind of stories you like to read, Juniper is a book-lover’s paradise. According to Wurdemann, he found his love for books growing up in Toronto.

“I used to go to the library every day after school. My friends and I would visit the local bookstores. I just kind of caught the bug, I fell in love with vintage bookstores. Just the feeling of being surrounded by books from such a young age is what made me want to open this establishment. I opened the store in 2006, not expecting much, but I thought ‘why not let’s give it a try’,” said Wurdemann.

Located on Ottawa street, Juniper welcomes readers and local authors. All together there are 45,000 used and rare books in the store alone. Room to room, floor to floor you will find books on every imaginable subject. Rare books, cook books, self-help books and mystery books are among the store’s features.

Wurdemann said what makes them different from other bookstores is their individuality and their rare books.

“We have a first edition Tom Sawyer book, which goes for over $4,000. We have a good amount of rare Shakespeare books,” said Wurdemann.  “That’s something that we can offer that other bookstores like Indigo cannot offer. We have rare and used books that you can’t find anywhere else in Windsor.”

While Juniper, like many other independent bookstores, faces competition from large corporate chains and online retailers, Wurdemann said he is confident in Juniper and its future.