Do you have $12,000 and dream of owning a small-town bookstore?

Less than two years after opening, Backbeat Books, Music & Gifts in Perth, Ontario, is up for sale. Due to undisclosed health reasons, John Pigeau, who owns the bookshop with his wife, Erin Daley, is hoping to find a buyer before the end of April, otherwise they will be forced to liquidate.

The shop sells new and used books, music, vintage merchandise, and gift items created by local artists. Record sales, in particular, are doing well. “The people who buy [the store] will have a niche market in Perth for vinyl junkies,” Pigeau says.

Backbeat has also gained a reputation for its First Edition Reading Series, which has brought a variety of authors to the Ottawa Valley, including Helen Humphreys, Roy MacSkimming, Tanis Rideout, Grace O’Connell, and bill bissett. Pigeau says Margaret Atwood is scheduled to read later this year.

“I will dearly miss our little shop,” says Pigeau. “I hope someone with a passion for books and music will come along and save it. Many good folks in Perth love it, as do many authors who have visited and read in the shop.”