I’m on the train back from Toronto, reflecting on this weekend. Conferences are a rare opportunity to get away from the day-to-day grind and think bigger. What is my place in animal advocacy, and what inspires me? I had the humbling opportunity to speak about how farm sanctuaries are limited by charitable law. I dedicated my presentation to Maggie, my muse. As I spoke, no matter how frustrated I was at the system, I realized how passionate I am about this work. I want this challenge.
I scribbled the above in my notes after presenting at the Canadian Animal Law Conference. In my presentation, I mentioned how much work it takes to get charitable status, especially as a farm sanctuary. In Canada, you don’t qualify for charitable status just for rescuing farmed animals. There has to be an educational component. We won’t be allowed to intercept the food system or rescue liberated animals. We’ll have to work with a charity lawyer, expand our board, and update our bylaws, purpose & activities. It will require a massive investment of time, money, people, development, creation… and an absolute shit ton of heart.
So, over the next several weeks, we will close the chapter on our online used bookshop.
For a while now, it’s been on my mind. The amount of time it takes to coordinate donation pick-ups, curate book drops, take photos of books, post on the website, promote sales, and coordinate deliveries is insurmountable. We can’t move forward if we keep focusing our energy on selling $5 used books. It’s not sustainable.
What makes this feel like such a huge choice, and as if we’re jumping into the unknown, is that most of Secondhand Stories’ audience isn’t vegan, doesn’t identify as an animal advocate, or isn’t a chicken lover. And to be clear, this is something I’m incredibly thankful for. It allows us the platform to share the lives of chickens with those who might not otherwise get to see and learn about the Maggie's of the world.
I really hope that over the years, our chickens have captured your hearts as much as our books have, and you’ll stick with us as we turn the page.
Make sure you mark your calendars for these events:
Saturday, October 19: Liquidation Book Sale
We will be clearing out all our books, selling our nine Billy Bookshelves (at a super discount!) and welcoming folks to the sanctuary for a HUGE LIQUIDATION SALE. All books will be $1 each, or you can bring your own bag (as big as you want) and fill it up for just $10. We'll have warm apple cider and baked goods for sale and tours every hour.
Location: 21 Pegg Road, Lombardy, ON K0G 1L0
Time: 10am to 1pm
Saturday, November 2: Last Ever Book Drop
This is your very last chance to shop for books online. We'll be posting books on our Instagram story to be claimed, as well as a curated selection to our website. Location: Secondhand Stories Instagram & Website Time: 10am
Saturday, November 23: Book Funeral a.k.a. Celebration of Life.
Four years to the day of when Secondhand Stories first launched on Instagram. Come say HEY GIRL HEY at Keepin' It Vegan as we drop off a new selection of books and indulge in some sweet treats and hot cocoa. A casual meeting of book lovers to chat about all the good times. Location: 3 Chartwell Avenue, Ottawa, ON K2G 4K3 Time: 11am to 1pm
PS — This isn't a total breakup. We'll still have books at Keepin' It Vegan and include them in our spring and winter online auctions! We'll also still have our online shop open for bookmarks, cards & smaller paper goods that can be mailed using regular old snail mail :)
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