River is reflective of our location & ethos.
Amherstburg is situated on the Detroit River. Our vision is to create a comforting yet ever-changing bookshop that adapts to its environment, much like a flowing river. With the ongoing help of our readers, we will curate the shop's collection.
- Books make readers’ lives better
- Books make readers’ lives better
- Books make readers’ lives better
- Books make readers’ lives better
- Books make readers’ lives better
River Bookshop is our vision for a community hub and "Third Place" in Amherstburg. As an independent shop, we aim to enhance the quality of life for locals and visitors alike, by creating a welcoming space that is both locally grounded and globally connected.
How we operate
Four values that reflect our own personal beliefs.
Our four values reflect our own personal beliefs and can positively shape a reader's future, potential, and opinions. In a world filled with disquieting noise, we believe it's important to have this discussion.
We believe that reading can help educate.
Many people do not have the opportunity to travel the world to educate themselves fully, so we will bring the world to them through books.
Books can bring joy, laughter, suspense ... and they can even scare the Dickens out of you. (See what we did there?)
Books help our readers learn more, think more, create more, aspire for more, and be more.
With the ongoing help of our customers, we will curate our store design, our titles, and our activities so that they engage our authors, our readers, and our community.
Readers will show up for a sense of community. Our space is comfortable and fosters the feeling of being at home.
From the start, we knew that to make a difference and be true to our values, we had to take a stand on a number of issues and opportunities. In championing Black Lives Matter, Pride, Climate Action, Safe Streets, and the preservation of heritage buildings, we have done just that.
We realize that some of our stances will not be met with universal approval, but that has not deterred us.
The day we opened our shop we quoted the late
civil rights activist John Lewis:
“Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
And that's what we proudly do.
“Let us remember that one book, one pen, one child and one teacher can change the world”
-Malala Yousafzai