25-04-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Always a bestseller, book market returns with hopes of raising $500K
St. Vital Centre's Indigo bookstore may be feeling envious this weekend, as another page peddler takes centre stage.
From Friday to Sunday, hundreds of tables carrying some 300,000 books for sale wind through the mall, with nearly every genre and subgenre known to the printed word represented.
At least that was the number volunteer Carol Irving, who co-ordinates the Children's Hospital Book Market annual fundraiser, gave on Thursday afternoon. Then came a bigger number — $10 million — when she talked about how much the event has raised in its nearly 65 years.
Ruth Bonneville / Free Press
Co-ordinator Carol Irving (left) and volunteer Donna Paul prepare for the annual Children's Hospital Book Market at St. Vital Centre.
'Beware of the little old ladies in the blue smocks with the white hair,' she said. 'They're powerful. All of them. They know how to organize. They know how to get a job done.'
The first sale, in 1961, was held at the brand new Polo Park shopping centre. It raised $1,500, the equivalent of about $16,000 today.
Crews of 120 volunteers work in shifts to sling the gently used books to thousands of customers who flow through the mall. The donated books come from all over, and can be dropped off at local fire stations, Daytona Homes' show homes and Dufresne furniture stores.
The Children's Hospital Foundation expects the market will raise $500,000 this year for programming, from music therapy to toys and playroom improvements.
'Book Market makes a monumental impact for kids and families in hospital by supporting innovative Child Life programming,' said Jenny Kidder, manager of Child Life, a program designed to support children and their families during medical experiences via emotional aid and therapeutic activities.
SUPPLIED
The Children's Hospital Book Market at Polo Park in 1966.
In Irving's 33 years volunteering with the market, many things have changed as the fundraiser has gained momentum.
'The face of Book Market is different. Now, we have all kinds of people: civil engineers, teachers, nurses,' she said. '(When I started), there were very few men that were involved, but now we have many men … everybody is here for a reason and a purpose.'
Irving's authority as a Book Market historian rests on more than her experience co-ordinating the event: three generations of her family have volunteered, with her aunt Dorothy Farris being one of the event's pioneers.
'Children's Hospital Book Market was incredibly important to Dorothy,' said Irving. 'She lost a son to brain cancer, and her therapist suggested for her to grieve and to heal, that it would be very good for her to become involved with an organization that helped sick children.'
Irving, who seems quick to give credit for the titanic undertaking to everyone but herself, says Book Market is, above all, a community effort.
SUPPLIED
The Children's Hospital Book Market in 1971.
'I think the most important thing for people to remember is that for all the many lives that we have touched over the years,' she said, 'we couldn't do that without the support of the citizens of Manitoba and Winnipeg donating books.'
The market runs Friday to 9 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Book Market map
SUPPLIED
The Children's Hospital Book Market in 1966.
Conrad SweatmanReporter
Conrad Sweatman is an arts reporter and feature writer. Before joining the Free Press full-time in 2024, he worked in the U.K. and Canadian cultural sectors, freelanced for outlets including The Walrus, VICE and Prairie Fire. Read more about Conrad.
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