Gather Bookshop

Did you know that our wee bookshop started out as a tiny community group called the Inclusive Culture Club? It's true!

We grew from a small group rooted in sharing diverse voices with kids, to a business, and burgeoning social enterprise bringing books, literary events and artful offerings to humans of all ages. This is one of the key reasons we went from a mobile shop to storefront location - to be able to bring people together and share bookish love.

In 2024, we hosted a community rebrand session to change our name from Little Bookshop - and the word “Gather” rose to the top time and again. This is because we are more than simply a retail space, we are:

• A safe creative hub where people of all ages Gather in the name of self love, acceptance and a love of Literary Arts.
• A curated selection (gathered) of meaningful books and locally sourced goods.
• A place that encourages gathering inside and outside of it's walls - around a good book, with the perfect heirloom gift or creative project.

Everything we do at Gather is rooted in building community, and celebrating the arts (literary, or otherwise). We are a retailer that uses a large share of it's income to fund creative community programming, create safe spaces to gather and share our passion with Squamish.

A quote from a novelist:

"I am a novelist currently under contract with Simon & Schuster Canada with my fifth thriller released on May 14, 2024. Gather Bookshop has filled an enormous need in our community with retail opportunities, shelf space, and creative connections through workshops and author-driven events.

Previously, authors who wrote in any genre outside of outdoor adventure had little to no presence with readers in Squamish. Gather Bookshop changed everything in our small mountain town. Now, we have an inclusive and innovative space to find readers, colleagues, and other fellow travellers in the world of words.

Gather Bookshop is an inspirational and transformative space for everyone who loves to read and write. Prior to Gather becoming a bricks and mortar entity, it was a lifeline for me during the scary isolation of the global pandemic. The Instagram feed gave me hope and connection at a time when I felt very alone.

Seeing it become a real-live place offered a beautiful new beginning when
the world still felt fragile and odd and I've been so grateful for the way it's grown into a positive, warm, and loving place to be. From generative workshops to sparkling socials to provocative panels, I've never attended an event at Gather that didn't cultivate new relationships and expand my creative practices. For me, gathering is a way to find our people and collect our thoughts which is precisely what the bookshop and the beautiful Julie have enabled in my life.”

- Amber Cowie, Novelist