Massy Books is in Vancouver, B.C., on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Massy Books is a funky retail destination in Vancouver’s Chinatown neighbourhood — made all the more vibrant by the book lovers who walk through its doors. It’s a place people feel welcome to explore and ask questions and browse in ways that give pause to the day.
Question: How are you supporting other local businesses?
Answer: We prioritize local publishers and authors and buy local when we can. We partner with multiple organizations and charities in various events, fundraisers, workshops, etc. All our staff are local, our accounting and banking are local (Vancity), and we provide discounted shipping to local customers.
Question: What social and environmental practices are you proud of?
Answer: We are the first Living Wage Bookstore in BC, provide full benefits after 20 hrs of work a week, sick time, and have donated over $65,000 to local charities, organizations and initiatives in our lifetime. Currently, we are recruiting three youth to be “Teen Book Reviewers” which allows them access to free books, an opportunity to connect with other youth, and to gain work experience. We have accessible event space and washroom and have been awarded an Accessibility Certification by the Rick Hansen Foundation.
We resell used books to help circulate books, otherwise gone to waste. Also, sometimes we just have too many books. When this happens, we donate the overflow to Write to Read – an organization dedicated to forwarding aboriginal literacy through the establishment of Learning Centres and Libraries in First Nations communities and reserves.
We recycle all plastic, cardboard and other materials as much as possible. We keep our water usage to a minimum, except in our washroom and drinking water. All our lights are LED, and we use fans to cool down the space in the winter, as opposed to an air conditioner. We use energy-efficient space heaters in the winter.
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Woman Owned, Indigenous Owned