Friday, March 29, 2024

Russell Books will try to build world’s tallest stack of Guinness World Record books next week

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Fort Street staple Russell Books is nearly done moving into their new location just across the street.

To celebrate this transition, on November 14th, the owners are trying to build the tallest stack of Guinness World Record books in an effort to set a new world record.

See also: Russell Books is moving to a bigger location in downtown Victoria

This event, which co-owner Andrea Minter says is also a sort of soft-opening of their new location, will be attended by an official Guinness World Records adjudicator.

“My four children thoroughly enjoyed the Guinness World Records books, and some of them we have read over and over again,” says Minter in a statement.

“Of course when you look at the records you think what could we do? What kind of record could we break?”

The public are invited to view the spectacle as staff attempt to create the largest stack of World Record books ever at 4:30 p.m. next Thursday.

While management at Russell Books has a hefty stack of books on hand to get started, they’re still asking Victorians to contribute their Guinness World Record books in exchange for a $5 gift card and a chance to help them make history.

The business started moving their inventory over to the new 747 Fort Street location (the old Staples building) from their current space across the street over the summer.

Throughout the move, they have kept the original store open, and plan to do so right up until the grand opening of their new location at the end of the month.

For now, the previous main floor and the upstairs Fiction Room at 734 Fort Street are still open to the public and all used books are currently buy one, get one free.

Background

This transition is a massive expansion for the business, as the new store is 18,000 sq. ft. – that’s 6,000 sq. ft more space than their current location.

It also provides improved accessibility, as the building comes equipped with an elevator, an escalator, a loading bay in the back for when shipments come in, and a single storefront entrance rather than the three that Russell Books currently has.

Once they’ve moved into the larger space, Minter says customers can also look forward to a larger inventory and bigger sections.

Russell Books first opened in downtown Victoria in 1991 when founder Reg Russell expanded his Montreal operation and brought it to the city.

Today, it is the single largest independent bookstore operator in downtown Victoria and offers a massive variety of literature, covering every inch of the store from floor to ceiling.

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Brishti Basu
Former Senior Staff Writer and Content Manager at Victoria Buzz.

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