Daisy Chain Book Co.
12525 102 Ave T5N 0M4 Edmonton, AB, Canada

I’m calling this my COVID shelf. Books about the beauty & value of gathering with other humans, the joy of rest & reflection, how to choose books & why we enjoy them so... oh, and what’s that? A 2-wick candle! I am trying out our newest DCBC signature scent. It is a sweet compliment to your COVID reading life. I can’t wait for you to smell it!!

Grownup Brandi drinks vanilla whisky while she writes in her Reading Journal, finding a pic of Little Brandi tucked in amongst the pages. Listening to The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne while I relax in bookish bliss. It’s a good day.

I love lists. Reading provides so many opportunities for making lists: TBR Books I’ve read ... Books I stopped reading Who suggested books for me Places in the world I want to read about How many pages I’ve read My favourite covers And so on... I’m making new lists in my bullet journal reading tracker and the blank pages and spaces are so exciting! Which books will I read that will become my new faves? What will I learn that will make me a better human? What words will I discover and want to add to my own vocabulary? Which characters will take up space in my heart? A New Year is a chance to start something fresh. Forget the diets. Forget the resolutions you will feel guilty about neglecting in Feb... stick with books. How do you track your reading life?

If you have a brick & mortar business, there is so much more to think about besides the stock you sell. Creating a space that makes people feel good and want to re-visit is so important and wildly overlooked unless you’re a designer, which most small biz start-ups don’t think they are. I am so D-O-N-E with spaces that just throw their products on shelves in whatever haphazard way they can and don’t pay attention to what’s on the walls, the floors, the music playing, the smel...ls, the space between shelves or displays... Just having walls is not enough. You must intentionally prepare space for GUESTS. Guests are friends, someone you have things in common with, someone you care about, someone you want to provide a great, comforting experience for. Guests can tell when you’ve set the table for them. I am thrilled with all the comments about DCBC’s space, the brightness, the happy colours, the catchy tunes (I see you dancing, Friend!!) and it affirms that I’ve set my table well. There are so many plans to add to the space this year. I am designing shelves, collaborating with my graphic designer for fun, instagramable elements and overall continuing to improve your DCBC experience. Because this store is FOR YOU.

Did you know... ... that we do pretty much everything differently from other bookstores? . Of course you did. You know I am too stubborn to just do what everyone else does. Our genre headers all have different names, not just because I want to be contrary but because I think that we get stuck in ruts and stop being creative about the smallest things. Adding a touch of whimsy is not a grand gesture but it makes you stop and go Ha! The History and Current Events sections are c...alled That Was Then... This Is Now. That’s clever. For example: Sci-Fi/Fantasy is called Out of This World Self Help is called Self Improvement Diet & Exercise is called Health & Strength Romance is called Love Stories Travel is called Around The World and Mystery is called Whodunnit? . Our 2 newest sections will be called: Indigenous Tales and I like the wine, not the label. (LGBTQ) Thank you to @schittscreek for the inspiration for that one . Adding a personal touch to small details is what sets you apart as an innovator, otherwise, who are you copying? There are lots of people who sell what you do, lots of places who do what you do - what sets you apart as memorable, relevant or unique? Why should people CHOOSE YOU? . Be the Purple Cow. See more

We are adding books like MAD, so when you come in with your Gift Cards there are copious amounts of tempting titles. I especially love bookstore shopping with someone else’s money, don’t you?

I heard this from a few readers today... one of the wondrous things about a #usedbookstore is that the shelves are always changing. I only get a handful of each new title when I place orders - on purpose - so that the shelves and displays are constantly new and interesting to you. . Thanks to each of you who have contributed to today’s #bookshopquoteoftheday !

@kellyrachel__ knows. When you come to a bookstore to pick your faves, it is more fun to bring a FRIEND! . Kelly has chosen 5 wisely diverse titles, rich in tenderness and inspiration. (How the Grinch Stole Christmas was supposed to be up there, but the old grump wouldn’t fit on the shelf) . Thank you to Kelly and Natasha for coming to the store on an oddly snowy afternoon to have some bookish fun!... . #yegbookstore #yegbooklovers #indiebookstore #daisychainbookco #shophighstreet #highstreetyeg #shop124street #booksaregoodforyou #youshouldreadmore #supportindiebookstores #shoplocalyeg See more

Thank you for choosing #daisychainbookco . . We choose you too. .

I run a bookstore. But books are not where my focus lays. . Chick-Fil-A is not about fast food. Southwest Airlines is not about planes.... . We all have one thing in common: we are about the people we serve. . This is what sets the small, local community bookshops apart from the Mega box stores or online giants. I am thrilled to my very toes when we can exchange fun banter and learn about books and authors from each other. Books are a tool that we use to see the world through the eyes of another and explore an author’s imagination through the lens of our own experience. Books are a powerful and magical escape into a world of humility & wonder. One cannot be arrogant opening a book because you are saying to the author, teach me how you see things. I am open to your leading. As wonderful as they are, books are ABOUT people, written by people FOR people to read. . In the #booktruck I’ve engaged in deep, personal discussions with people. Tears have been shed. Laughing and snorting have been expressed. People have been heard. People have been comforted, encouraged and celebrated. So far, each of these have already occurred in the bookstore as well. . My idea of a successful day is not necessarily the amount of books sold, but rather the amount of human connections made. There is no metric of achievement for human connections. . I’m ok with that. . I have 15,000 books in my store, and the most valuable thing is the 1 person who walks in the door. See more

It’s that time, Friends!! . We want YOU to be our next honorary Staff member who picks books for our Staff Faves wall. Steph’s picks were a huge hit - y’all agreed with her good taste. . TAG a fellow bibliophile who you’d like to sit back, sipping a hot toddy and talking books with!... . We will pick one to come in and choose 5 books from our shelves and be featured on our social media! . . Go!! See more

Gee, Brandi, we haven’t heard much from you today. What ‘cha been up to? . Let me tell you, Friend. Washed the floor. Imported new books.... Washed the floor. Talked with delightful new Readers. Placed a Random House order. Washed the floor. Talked with more sweet Readers. And just took a break from... ... you guessed it. Washing the floor. This no-slip salt outside is wreaking havoc on my checkerboard floor. But hey, it’s as close to the ocean as I’m going to get, so I may as well embrace it. . Getting prepped for a Book Club tonight with a few precious Readers, and then I’ll go home and watch The Crown. . What are you doing right now?? See more

@officialdaniellesteel At some point, you have probably dipped into the canon of books you see in this photo. She’s iconic. She continues to put out new books like a writing wizard. .... I recently received these hardcovers and if you see some that you ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE for your collection, msg me or email or call and I will put them aside for you. Each one is under $6. . Seriously, just setting up this photo was staggering. So. Many. Books. . And here I am, patting myself on the back for completing this post. See more

We have a big space for our sweet bookstore. It’s nice and open. Our checkerboard dance floor covers A LOT of space. . We clean the floors often. Like, OF-TEN. It’s not unlikely that you’ll see us leaning on a mop or broom while we chat with you.... . @hannah29_99 is giving it her all. @auroragauthier says she has to use her curling muscles. . Cleaning the #booktruck floor never took this long... See more

We do what we have to do, right? When the world is bananas and you still need a book, you pay online for something you can’t see, touch or smell (books are a multi-sensory experience, folks), and then you wait for a stranger to deposit it on your porch days later. For so many, this has been our pandemic shopping habit. And with good reason. The world is and safety is key. . But. The experience of being IN a bookstore, having oodles of room to move about safely and actually ...take your purchases home with you INSTANTLY? I hear everyday about how grateful readers are to experience this simple delight again. We don’t take anything for granted anymore. . When you come in - Sanitize. Masks are required because we are all superheroes in our own way. 3 squares on the floor is 6ft, so keep a safe distance from others. Sanitize again at the cash desk. Sanitize when you leave. . We are watching numbers of people in the store so we don’t exceed our capacity. We are wiping, washing and wiping again like mad. . And IF you are quarantined or prefer to shop from home, please know that we still offer free delivery on orders over $10 within the #yeg area and will happily ship orders anywhere readers gather. See more