Victoria's Bolen Books Wins National Bookselling Prize

(June 10, 2007) Victoria's Bolen Books was awarded the 2007 Libris Award for Bookseller of the Year at a ceremony held in Toronto tonight. Co-owner and manager Samantha Holmes accepted this national honour in front of an audience which included former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, John Ralston Saul, Roy MacGregor and hundreds of publishers, editors, writers and fellow booksellers.

The Libris Awards are presented annually by the Canadian Booksellers Association, the national body of Canada's booksellers. They write, "CBA Libris Awards, nominated and voted on by members of the Canadian bookselling community, honour outstanding achievement in Canada's bookselling industry"

The official citation for the Bookseller of the Year Award reads: "Presented in memory of Roy Britnell. To an independent bookstore in recognition of excellence in book retailing. Based on superior customer service and innovation; store atmosphere; range of stock relative to size; marketing initiative; author promotion; and community involvement."

This is the second time Bolen Books has been awarded this prestigious prize, and this marks the fifth consecutive year that the prize has been won by a bookseller west of Ontario.

In accepting the prize, Samantha Holmes effusively thanked the Bolen Books staff (whom she referred to as "the best in the country"), her sales and her customers. As she later explained, "Victoria is a city of readers, and having such fine, loyal and knowledgable customers encourages a bookseller to be the best they can be. It's the best city in the country to be a bookseller, bar none."

For more information or to book an interview, please contact:

Robert J. Wiersema (250) 595-4208 ext 241 rwiersema@bolen.bc.ca

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