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OUR HISTORY
The Bouffards This family owned business was established in 1975 by Fran and Bernie Bouffard. After their retirement, the bookstore was taken over by their daughter, Anne and her husband Jim. What started as a corner store with a few racks of books to trade and sell has now become the the largest used bookstore in Northern Ontario. In 1975, Fran and Bernie Bouffard along with their 4 young children relocated to Sudbury from North Bay to open the Bay Confectionery on Lasalle Boulevard. Initially, the business was solely focused on selling groceries and magazines, but soon thereafter the Bouffards decided to trade and sell used books. The Lasalle location thrived and, in 1985, a second location at 124 Elm Street was opened. Among the Bouffards, the Elm Street location became known as mom’s (or Fran’s) store while the Lasalle location remained dad’s (or Bernie’s) store. In 2004, the Lasalle store was amalgamated with the Elm Street location. The store was given a major facelift with walls painted, shelving improved and inventory increased. Although some of the Lasalle customers were disappointed with the move, many continue to purchase their books at the new location and, as well, take advantage of the free downtown parking adjacent to the store (we own the parking lot !!!.) On June 1, 2005, Bay Used Books celebrated 30 years in business. Soon thereafter, Bernie and Fran were reluctantly convinced to sell Bay Used Books to their daughter, Anne Bouffard, and son-in-law, Jim Shea. Both had been executives working in the public and private sector in Ottawa, but wanted a change from the frantic pace of the big city. Anne, Jim and their young son, Vincent, relocated from Ottawa and began a new chapter in their lives. The transition has been nothing short of spectacular. The extraordinary friendliness of Sudburians, the lakes, no traffic and the terrific summer have all made the experience exciting and invigorating. Jim and Anne are honored and committed to continue the operations of Bay Used Books under the Bouffard banner. Fran and Bernie continue to stay involved and offer advice and counsel on a regular basis. Vapaus 1917-1974 Although Bay Used Books has a lot of history, our current location also has its own story. Our Elm location building has been here since the early 1920's. Originally, the building was called "Vapaus" (translates to Freedom). This was a Finnish-Canadian communist newspaper published between 1917 to 1974, and they also ran a small bookstore up-front. In 1974, the newspaper merged with the Finnish-Canadian literary magazine, Liekki, moved to Toronto, and was renamed Viikosanomat. Later the paper took up its old name again and continued publication until 1990. Between Vapaus and Bay Used Books There are a lot of rumours and wild stories about what the building might have been used for after Vapaus and before Bay Used Books. Some say there was wrestling matches in the basement, restaurants on the main floor, and at some point, an armory of some sorts. If you know what this building was in between 1974 and 1985, let us know! |
Bay Used Books : Bouquinerie, Sudbury
Le TFO a fait une vidéo vraiment merveilleuse sur notre magasin en 2014. Regardez-la avec le lien ci-dessous!
https://www.tfo.org/fr/univers/tfo-247/100397346/bay-used-books-bouquinerie-sudbury
Le TFO a fait une vidéo vraiment merveilleuse sur notre magasin en 2014. Regardez-la avec le lien ci-dessous!
https://www.tfo.org/fr/univers/tfo-247/100397346/bay-used-books-bouquinerie-sudbury
