A new chapter: Firefly and Fox Books opens in downtown Simcoe

Left devastated" by the closure last spring of Haldimand-Norfolk's only place to buy new books - a Coles store in the Simcoe Town Centre mall - Catherine Wiebe had an idea.

Maybe we could start a bookstore? How hard can it be?" Wiebe remembers saying to her husband, Tim Fox, while watching fireflies flit about their Simcoe backyard.

Her vision was a place where customers could find new books - from the latest literary fiction and children's titles to works by local and Canadian authors - and be challenged to expand their worldview.

I want to introduce people to a friend they maybe didn't even know they needed, but that can suddenly become an important part of their life," Wiebe said inside her shop, Firefly and Fox Books, which opened June 26 in downtown Simcoe.

The response from the public, Wiebe said, has been everything I dreamed and more."

The cosy shop on Norfolk Street North is open four afternoons a week and based on her bare-bones business plan"; Wiebe figured she would need to sell 10 to 20 books each day to make ends meet.

So far, she said, sales have been way higher than my expectations," with the opening day rush leaving gaping holes on the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves built by Fox, a mechanical engineer by trade who handled all the renovations.

I got home, had supper, put the kids to bed and spent four hours reordering books," Wiebe said with a laugh.

The sales have kept coming, whether through online or phone orders - Wiebe delivers in Norfolk and ships anywhere in Canada - and in the shop, which is often crowded with readers of all ages.

But Wiebe said she and Fox are not in the book business to get rich.

This is not the big money-making idea. This is our act of love for the community," she said.

Author Roselle Lim said having a bookstore close to her Waterford home has helped introduce her novels to new readers.

I'm a Canadian author, but I've found that a lot more of my readers and audiences tend to be American because I have an American publisher," said Lim, whose first two novels - Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune" and Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop" - are in stock at Firefly and Fox.

I think it's fantastic, considering it's also independently owned. I think we need a lot more of those around," said Lim, who described her work as general fiction about families, food and ordinary magic."

She praised Wiebe's passion for connecting readers with new books based on their interests.

Catherine is great at serving up the perfect book," Lim said.

That literary matchmaking is made easier because every title at Firefly and Fox has been read and loved" by Wiebe or trusted friends and customers.

That's the special thing about an independent bookstore - truly, every volume is here for a reason," Wiebe said.

You can get on a wait list at the library or wait for it to show up at a used bookstore. But to be able to connect people with that book in their moment of need is such a special thing."

Wiebe guarantees any children's book she carries is one parents can read to their kids over and over without wanting to stab a spoon into your eye," she said with a laugh.

All children's books have been approved - and in some cases recommended - by her own kids, Lucy, 9, Beatrice, 6, and Wilbur, 3.

If opening a bookstore in 2021 during a global pandemic seems like a leap of faith, doing so in downtown Simcoe might seem even more of a challenge in light of the area's persistent drug and crime issues. But Wiebe sees her shop as a piece of the puzzle" in Simcoe's ongoing revitalization.

Downtown Simcoe BIA spokesperson Brian Jones said the renaissance is in full swing, noting the vacancy rate in the downtown core is lower than it has been in decades."

The BIA board is really pleased to see destination businesses like Firefly and Fox rediscovering the value of locating downtown," Jones said.

Wiebe - herself a published author - moved back to her hometown three years ago from Hamilton, where as a university student she loved browsing the shelves at Bryan Prince Bookseller in Westdale and other independent bookstores.

She sees books, like fireflies, as points of light in a dark world."

And I would hope that our bookstore can be that for people - a hopeful place and a bright place even in a dark time," she said.

J.P. Antonacci's reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows him to report on stories about the regions of Haldimand and Norfolk.