Citing safety, Brown & Dickson bookstore to close Richmond Row location

After almost 10 years operating in downtown London, iconic bookstore Brown & Dickson is closing on Richmond Row, in part becauseits owners say the area no longer feels safe for staff or customers.

"The focus of downtown hasshifted from simply being a cultural and commercial district, to being a district where the focus has to be on helping people who are in need," said co-owner Vanessa Brown.

Brown and her partner Jason Dickson announcedthe move in a Facebook post on Friday, saying Saturday, Feb. 26, will be their last day at 567 Richmond St.

Brown said the neighbourhood has changed recently in ways that make it incompatible with a small business.

"We found ourselves in a situation where the focus was no longer about cute little shops and the focus has had to shift, by necessity, towardhelping thepeople who are on the street who need assistance in poverty and addiction and mental health and they're simply not getting that help," she said.

The store has been on Richmond Row since 2014, moving in 2019 to its current location at 567 Richmond St. from a storefront a few doors to the north.

Dickson said since then, the effect of the worsening opioidepidemic downtown and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown have combined to make it impossible to keep the store open.

"The neighbourhood around our book shop has changed so dramaticallythat we simply can't operate," said Brown.

Thecouple say they've had customers tell them they don't feel safe in the area. Prospective employees have turned down jobs for similar reasons.

In May of last year Ark Aid Mission, which provides services for Londoners who are unhoused, suffered a fire at its Dundas Street location. While the damage was repaired, they began to operate a meal serviceout of the First Baptist Church in Victoria Park.

In September, CBC News reported that many local businesses were locking their doors as a way to screen customers coming in. Many of those businesses reported increased problems with employees being harassed, stolen merchandise and damage to store fronts, including broken windows.

Brown said while she and other businesses are dealing with these problems, they're also often reluctant to speak out. They worry their comments will be construed as having an uncaring attitudetoward Londoners who struggle withhomelessness, drug addiction or mental health issues.

"We certainly don't blame people who've had their dignity taken away, people who are on the streets and need help," said Brown. "We don't blame them, we blame the infrastructure that has failed them.

"As a business owner, if you start to speak about how difficult the neighbourhood has become, people assume you're saying something bad about the people who are in that neighbourhood and that's not the case."

In many ways, the decision to close theRichmond Row shop is a continuation of the business's evolution away from the bricks and mortar shop across from Victoria Park.

In January,Brown & Dickson opened a book "showroom" in the Blackfriarsneighbourhood at 32 Albion St. It currently operates with limited hours, which they plan to expand later this year.

Last summer, the couple bought a school bus to convert into a portable bookstorethey can set up at cultural festivals and community events, not unlike a food truck.

"We have a lot of positive exciting stuff in the future," said Brown. "And when we look at the past we have a lot of happy memories of being downtown, working with the arts community, having amazing events at our store. That's the sweet part of it, the bitter part is having to say goodbye."