The diocese of Montreal’s Diocesan Book Room in the Promenades Cathedrale shopping center is to close Oct. 31, a victim of financial pressures, new consumer habits, and changing times.
“This ministry of the synod of the diocese of Montreal has existed since the 1920s,” said a notice from Peter Denis, chair of the Diocesan Book Room board of management. “Competition from discounting chain bookstores, Internet purchasing and the continual diminishing of Anglicans in Montreal make it too costly to continue.”
The decision to shut down the book room was proposed by the book room board of management on June 5 and discussed at the diocesan council meeting June 15.
“The store manager, Father Gregory Nimjean, and the board of management made this decision after efforts to make the store better known to church goers did not yield any slowing of the annual decline in sales, nor the increasing losses,” said Mr. Denis.
Under agreement with the developers, the premises will remain at the disposal of the diocese, which could rent it out as a source of revenue.