Howard has been working at his family’s book shop since he was eight years old.
Technically, he was an unpaid labourer at that time, one of the many Kerry family members who gathered to help renovate the site of their new book shop back in 1973. Even the kids were given small tasks.
Howard pointed to the long row of books on the east wall, or more precisely, the peg board behind.
“I helped put that there.”
I frequently pass Kerry’s Book Store on my regular walks through the downtown area of Barrie. Recently, I noticed a simple hand-written notice in the window, and was immediately intrigued.
“50th Anniversary Nov. 1/23”
Fifty years? That is some achievement. How many businesses reach that milestone, and how many others have come and gone during that time?
On a Saturday afternoon, I took a wander in. Howard was there at the counter, the book he is currently reading sitting open. He asked, as he must have done thousands of times before, if there was any particular book I was looking for.
I think that Howard was a little surprised that the story I was after was not one bound in paper but his story and that of his family business. Having been there from day one, he knows the story well.
The Kerry brothers of the previous generation, Norman and Gordon, were the driving force behind the business. Their business plan was next to non-existent, something that Howard suggests would likely never succeed today.
Norman and Gordon Kerry would try something, even if they had no experience in the sector, and then learn as they went, tweaking their products and methods along the way.
By 1973, the brothers had sold their interest in the Dorchester Hotel in Collingwood but they continued to work at the hotel and waited on tables there. They had long puzzled over one empty front room, one that never seemed to serve any useful purpose. Then an idea came to them.
How about books? The Kerrys gathered 500 used books and began to sell them from that small section of the Dorchester. In 1979, the brothers spoke to the Barrie Examiner and shared that they really had no idea what they were doing in the beginning, but they were determined quick learners and willing to take some risks.
“The entrepreneurs lacked background in their field. Capitol investment was quite limited. Their shop was too small to accommodate merchandise. The location did not have sufficient traffic and the population of 12,000 did not present a favourable projection for sales potential.”
The Kerrys’ solution was to move to a second location within Collingwood. They worked hard in their new venue and managed to pay themselves $25 a week after two years.
Soon, a small chain of book stores was born. With locations in Orillia, Peterborough, Toronto, Owen Sound, British Columbia and Nova Scotia, all under the Mike’s Book Store banner, success arrived.
The Mike’s name came from a Kerry family member, Howard tells me, but it was later decided that the Kerry name would better represent the family business venture.
The tiny shop at 25 Dunlop St. W. has been many things over the years. Burton and Gribble Electric in the 1920s, Barrie Government Surplus in the 1960s and Vanguard Pharmacy in the early 1970s.
As small as it is, the Kerrys have found ways to maximize their limited space. Around 1983, the rear portion of the shop was expanded to include more book shelves. The basement contains even more shop space. Every wall and shelf is loaded with books of every description.
As I spoke with Howard, a couple came into the store. They were in search of copies of the old hardcover Nancy Drew books, hoping to fill gaps in their personal collection. I believe they found one.
Howard hopes you will come in and see him, too. All the old deals are still in place — half off cover price books, buy back deals and lots more. Kerry’s Book Store is a bit of a time machine and not to be missed.
Each week, the Barrie Historical Archive provides BarrieToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past. This unique column features photos and stories from years gone by and is sure to appeal to the historian in each of us.
