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But Sword says he has no problem going between the two worlds: the world of print and the online world. He enjoys the speed of technology and film — he’s a graduate of the Capilano College film school — and the slower pace of the printed media. “When I come into my store on Saturdays, I turn on the jazz and immediately relax. I visit with my regular customers and it’s a comfortable space,” said Sword. But by the end of the weekend, he becomes antsy and is keen to re-enter the quicker pace of his working life as a producer and director with Media 2.0, which produces internet communication tools, such as podcasts and blogs. Sword is happy to be immersed in both the old and new media, although if the book shop paid more, he might be inclined to quit his day job. “The book store is a bit more of a passion,” Sword admits of the business he started in 2004. A former Chapters employee, book lover and film-maker, Sword thought he could bring all his interests together in the Jolly Olde Bookstore. The store was originally located in a refurbished house further west on Clarke Street but it lacked foot-traffic, so when the old Burns Meat Store became open for lease, he jumped on it. He now has well over 20,000 titles and is considering a modest expansion to another room in the tiny building. Sword is also selling more and more of his books online, mostly to U.S. customers looking for things like-hard-to-find technical manuals. He recently sold a book on radio waves through his website. “That was a good day,” he recalls. “It’s fun to find those little treasures.” For those looking for history, there’s little to see in the Jolly Olde Bookstore to hint at its butcher shop past. The wide fir planks have been sanded. There is a tiny, rose-print, William Morris-style paper on the walls. Only the heavy glass doors suggest the building was ever anything but a quaint, little book store. All that’s missing is a cat, agrees Sword, who says the store’s ambience complements his book collection. It’s rare for a suburb to have such a treasure, and Sword loves the location, even though he now lives in Vancouver. “I love Port Moody. It’s a great spot to run a business. It’s an artsy little town.” The Jolly Olde Bookstore is located at 2419a Clarke St., Port Moody, 604-939-1092 or www.jollyoldebookstore.com  2419a Clarke St., Port
Moody, BC V3H 1Z2
(604) 939-1092
info@jollyoldebookstore.com
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