Celebrating almost 50 years as a local bookseller, publisher, café, archivist, and museum of local
and regional histories, The Ginger Press Bookshop and Cafe is a rare treasure. Situated on the main commercial street of downtown Owen Sound, The Ginger Press stands fiercely local and
independent as a community institution thanks to the tireless and passionate work by owner,
Maryann Thomas.
The Ginger Press began in 1979 as a general store with an artists studio space in the back. In the
early days, the bookselling portion of the business was a thriving catalogue and mail order
operation specializing in books on woodworking and art. The publishing business began as an
artistic outlet making and selling handmade paper and hand-bound books.
Skip to the present and The Ginger Press has published over 150 books by local authors telling the stories and histories of the Grey Bruce region.
“Rather than chasing trends, The Ginger Press has gone deeper, and the commitment to preserving words onto paper remains a driving force”
As of today, The Ginger Press has eight more new books in production, continuing the important work of documenting and sharing the rich local stories and histories.
If running a publishing house and a vibrant bookstore with author events, book clubs, storytime,
and many other local artistic and charitable outreaches isn’t enough, Maryann is also the publisher
of The Owen Sounder magazine. On top of this, (when she is not sleeping), she also helps to curate
and organize the annual Artwalk festival in downtown Owen Sound. See what I mean by a local
treasure!
When I asked what has changed for The Ginger Press over the years, a few things stood out for me. Most notably is the unwavering commitment to sharing the stories and histories of the Grey Bruce Region as both bookseller and publisher.
From sweeping histories to personal memoirs, to fictional based mysteries set in the Owen Sound area and much more. Rather than going wider and chasing trends, The Ginger Press has gone deeper, and the commitment to preserving words onto paper remains a driving force of everything that you find in the store and in the motivation to do more.
I asked if Maryann could recommend a book or two, which of course proved impossible. The Ginger Press simply has too many to choose from that hold up over time.
With that in mind, go visit The Ginger Press in downtown Owen Sound and immerse yourself in a project that is much richer than just a bookstore or café, but a beautifully curated archive of who we are and how we got here.
Written by Carey Low
Photos by Oscar Sheppard
