BEAUTIFUL HERITAGE BUILDINGS ARE DEFINITELY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKE AMHERSTBURG GREAT!
In Amherstburg, heritage isn’t decorative. It’s respected, protected, and woven into everyday life. Historic streets are still working streets. Old buildings have been adapted, not erased. Stories of
courage, freedom, and resilience are carried forward with care and honesty.
The keeper of the heritage story in Amherstburg is the Marsh Historical Collection. Its Collection Coordinator is the very knowledgeable Meg Reiner, who is also the author of the bestselling book Heritage Buildings of Amherstburg.
The Marsh Historical Collection was founded in 1983 and opened an office in 1991. It is a nonprofit archive in Amherstburg dedicated to preserving local history. It originated from the “Eco Morgue,” a vast collection of files, photos, and artifacts, compiled by Arthur W Marsh, owner of the Amherstburg Echo newspaper. It continued to be developed by his children John and Helen Marsh. You can find its office in the Heritage Square at 80 Richmond just across from the River Town Times office.
The Marsh Collection is important because the retention and restoration of heritage building are important to a community like Amherstburg.
Research on heritage districts indicates:
There are far-reaching economic benefits from job creation, tax assessment, area revitalization, and quality of life. A restored and beautiful heritage district can carve out a position for a town—a point of differentiation from other towns. They generate cultural tourism. The greenest building is the one that already exists.
The late Jane Jacobs—probably the most influential urbanist thinker and activist for the past century—once said: “Cities [towns] need old buildings so badly it is probably impossible for vigorous streets and districts to grow without them.”
To this day the important work of Jane Jacobs is being recognised by the annual “Jane’s Walks”—community-led walking conservations in hundreds of communities across the world.
On April 25th, Meg Reiner will lead a walk: “On the Move: a History of Transportation in Amherstburg.” Learn what The Panetteria Bakery building was long before it was a bakery, and much more. Gather at 1PM in Art Alley behind River Bookshop. Listen to our discussion about the Marsh Collection on CKBG 107.9 FM this Sunday and Saturday at 8AM. And tune in to CKBG to learn how you might win a copy of Heritage Buildings of Amherstburg.
WHAT MAKES AMHERSTBURG GREAT
Next week we are going to talk about local authors. Self-publishing is experiencing massive growth everywhere, and definitely in Amherstburg. Meet three local authors that are having great success. 
IT'S RAINING BOOKS: STORY TIME SUNDAY ABOUT WEATHER
At Story Time this week we will be learning about the grey and wet weather that comes with Spring.
Join Darrie-Ann and the Bookshop Team at 11AM on Sunday, April 26th for some stories about clouds, rainstorms, and other seasonal weather in the Children's Nook at River Bookshop.
TEA & POETRY SUNDAY AT HOLE IN THE WALL
River Bookshop is ending Poetry Month with a poetry reading featuring three poets, each one with a new book hot off the press.
Sunday, April 26th, from 2 to 4PM, poets Marty Gervais, Kathryn MacDonald, and John B. Lee will each be launching their new poetry collections. Join us for Tea & Poetry!
Click here to reserve your seat.
Plus, we are celebrating Canadian Indie Bookstore Day this weekend. Stop in Sunday and show your support for our shop and for our local poets at the same time. Hope to see you on the 26th!
CANADIAN INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE DAY
CIBD is coming, and it's one of our favourite times of year. This year it's on Saturday, April 25th! We'll be open 10AM-7PM that day to give you more time to shop.
Here are some of the things we have going on this year:
- Free gift with purchase (while supplies last)
- Contest for book lovers, courtesy of CIBA
- Featured display of The Booksellers' List, with 15% off the selection
- Find the Libro.fm Golden Ticket (more below)
- Bookstore Crawl (more below)
GOLDEN TICKET
On Saturday, April 25th, find the Golden Ticket in our store and win 12 free audiobooks from Libro.fm, the audiobook company that shares profits with independent bookshops, like us. There will only be one winner! Can you find it first? 
BOOKSTORE CRAWL
This year, we're excited to announce a bookstore crawl with other local booksellers in Windsor Essex County. Make a purchase at all 6 participating locations over the course of April 24th-26th, and be entered to win an incredible Grand Prize! In addition, everyone who completes the mission will also receive coupons to use at select bookstores.
Participating businesses:
- River Bookshop
- Biblioasis Bookshop
- Whiskeyjack Boutique
- Juniper Books
- The Book Nook
- Storytellers Bookstore
Last Friday we kicked off our first ever Silent Book Club, and it was a blast. We came together with our books and read silently for an hour as a group. Big thanks to Tellers Cafe for supplying the coffee. It was fun and we cannot wait to do this again in May. Stay tuned for more details!
So much to see and do in Amherstburg!
We hope to see you downtown this weekend.
The River Bookshop Team