Photo by Philip Alves/Vaughan Today

Illiteracy in the southeast corner of town skyrocketed recently.

Or, more accurately, sales of literary works have fallen off precipitously.

The Chapters big-box bookstore and clearance outlet at Yonge St. and Steeles Ave. closed its doors for the last time on March 8 after a long decline.

“I feel sad (that it closed) but it was inevitable,” said former bookseller Anthony Joaquim this week. “It started off busy, but you could see that other stores that they’d opened up in the area had been taking customers away.

“There just weren’t enough people to support the store.”

With the closure, Indigo Books & Music is left with a two-store presence in Vaughan: A Chapters at 3900 Hwy. 7 west of Weston Rd. in Woodbridge, and a Coles at Vaughan Mills mall in Concord.

Acura of North Toronto, the car dealership neighbouring the defunct bookstore, is said to be interested in the site.

Vaughan Today
Online: March 14, 2008 [link]