Guy Quenneville
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, January 30, 2008

YELLOWKNIFE - Daron Letts, owner and curator of Squatterz Books and Curiosities, was grinning like a gleeful child on Monday when he picked up a shipment of 250 new books from the downtown post office destined for his Old Town bookstore.

The books are part of Letts' effort to return the store's focus to new stock, while also continuing to provide a venue for local arts and performers.

Daron Letts, owner of Squatterz Books and Curiosities, carries a shipment of new books his recently revamped store will feature during its grand reopening tonight. - Guy Quenneville/NNSL photo

Letts planned to reopen his store today after closing for nearly the entire month of January to expand his retail space, get rid of clutter and order new stock, investing about $3,000 on infrastructure and new books.

"There'll be a lot more space," he said, referring to areas of the store that had been curtained off from customers but which will now be open for perusal.

"And new books will be playing a bigger and bigger part."

Letts is aiming for 60 per cent of his inventory to be new books by the summer, when business typically picks up.

As always, Letts' crop of new books runs the gamut of very special interests: punk oral history, sexuality, graffiti art.

"I pick books that aren't otherwise represented in our community, and books which I believe the younger generations of readers would and should be interested in, or at least be curious about," he said.

Not all of Letts' additions to the store could be put in place as originally scheduled.

He had planned to install a puppet theatre in his store, but ran into some obstacles that forced him to reschedule the theatre's installation for the spring.

"The puppet theatre is still a go," he said.

Letts is hosting a grand reopening for his store tonight, with musical guest Dana Sipos providing songs during an open mic.

At the same time, artists Kim Legler and Tamsone will be exhibiting some of their graffiti-inspired artwork.

He'll also be asking people to make donations to the Canadian Cancer Society.

As for as long-term plans go, Letts plans to hold an open mic every Saturday

"The bookstore is a business which strives to have a relationship with its community and its neighborhood," said Letts.

"I want it to continue providing literature and ideas and opportunities and spaces for creative projects."

Matthew Grogono, owner of Yellowknife Glass Recyclers, said he has eagerly anticipated the return of Squatterz, citing Letts as one of the biggest draws Old Town has to offer tourists.

"I see him as a catalyst for Old Town," he said. "Old Town is a natural destination for tourists, and there are more and more artists moving to the area. Daron has gone out of his way to expose people to this culture."