Dana Corbett and Catherine Quaglia opened Boundless Books in Ladysmith, B.C., in July 2025. (Boundless Books)

Shop Talk is an occasional feature in which fledgling independent booksellers take Q&Q into their stores and share their reasons for opening and what business has been like so far. 

Boundless Books
535 1st Avenue
Ladysmith, B.C.

Catherine Quaglia and Dana Corbett are not new to bookselling. But after decades of dreaming about owning their own bookstores, the pair teamed up last year to open a new bookstore together on the east coast of Vancouver Island.

Quaglia was managing Volume One Bookstore in Duncan, B.C., in 2025 – a store both women had worked at together for several years – when Corbett asked if she would like to own a bookstore with her. 

“It was an instant yes,” the pair told Q&Q. 

They started thinking about pursuing this mutual dream together in January 2025, and, aware that Frieda Douglas, owner of Salamander Books in Ladysmith, B.C., was looking to retire, suggested the possibility of taking the store over. The space and location made for “a perfect fit.”

Douglas gave them her blessing to change the name, and Boundless Books opened on July 1, 2025 after 30 days of DIY renovation that involved painting, building new shelves, updating the lighting, and changing the layout.

The store is about 1,800 square feet, and Quaglia and Corbett run it along with one staff member. 

They recently talked to Q&Q about what the first few months of business together in Ladysmith have been like.

Why open Boundless Books in 2025? 

There was a bookstore here previously that had been an important part of the community for 20 years. The owner, Frieda Douglas, was ready to retire and excited that two keen and experienced women were willing to keep the bookstore alive. 

We love Ladysmith. It is full of artisans, delicious cafes, and shops, and there is a true community feel among the people who live here. The heritage buildings with the view of the sea make it all the more special.

How has the community and its readers responded to the store?

The community has been very supportive of our store and is so glad we are here. We had a wonderful summer season with locals and tourists discovering us. The previous store had both new and used books so there has been a bit of a change now that we carry only new books. As we have settled in over the fall, we have been building meaningful relationships with our local community, the schools, and customers from surrounding areas.

How do you reach potential readers?

Our growth so far has been mainly organic as word of mouth spreads. People are discovering us every day, which is exciting, and being able to work with local schools has been a wonderful opportunity.

We made a conscious decision that for 2025 our advertising budget would go towards local organizations and charities. We have been donating to many different causes that benefit adults and children right here in our community. And, of course, we are on social media, learning how to reach people with our book reviews and humorous posts.

What are your goals for the bookstore?

We want to become a destination for people who love the magic of books. When we set out to renovate the store, we were intent on creating a space that was joyful, welcoming and diverse. We are a general bookstore and carry books in just about every genre. We have lots of mystery, history, fiction, and fantasy, along with nature titles, to name a few. We both have a strong love of children’s books and so we created a dedicated space for kids books right at the front of the store that leads all the way to the back. It has been very rewarding to see children discover beautiful books and the joy when an adult finds a nostalgic title that they remember reading when they were young.

What has been most surprising or unexpected about opening a bookstore or about your first few months in business?

With both of us having come from bookselling and managing backgrounds, we are very grateful for the experience and knowledge we brought to being owners. We recognize that without those experiences, opening a bookstore would have been very different, with a much steeper learning curve. 

That said, we are always learning and adjusting to the interests of our community. Our biggest surprise was realizing that different communities gravitate to different genres. We’ve listened to what our customers are asking for and ordering and we’ve adjusted our inventory, bulking up our mystery and history sections. 

And, of course, the children’s books. Catherine had a feeling that books for kids would be important for the store, but she didn’t realize how much it would mean to the community to have an abundant selection of kids books. That has been a real joy to see.

This interview has been edited and condensed.