River Bookshop

River Bookshop A shop that is grounded in our community but open to the world. Our values ....Educate. Entertain. Inspire. Engage.

River Bookshop will be a community hub, a “Third Place” where people gather and will feel comfortable spending time.

Join us on Sundays at 11 AM for our weekly Story Time. This week Alex Dale from Parks Canada joins us to share some sto...
08/19/2026

Join us on Sundays at 11 AM for our weekly Story Time. This week Alex Dale from Parks Canada joins us to share some stories with our young readers and to tell us all about Amherstburg's Fort Malden National Historic Park.

Junior BookClub is enjoying all the best things of summer; campfire smores, juicy popsicles and watermelon, bike rides a...
08/19/2026

Junior BookClub is enjoying all the best things of summer; campfire smores, juicy popsicles and watermelon, bike rides and summer swims and of course some great books featuring roadtrips and summer camps.

In August we are finishing off the last few weeks of summer by reading The Firefly Summer by Morgan Matson.

If you are looking for a book to read these last few weeks of summer, pop in to the bookshop to pick up a copy for your young reader or for your family to enjoy as a read aloud.

Our next meet-up takes place Sept 12th, so save the date to have your 8-12 year join us for our monthly discussion! Happy Reading!

Our teen bookclub is enjoying the last few weeks of summer vacation with a cozy summer fantasy read. This month we are r...
08/19/2026

Our teen bookclub is enjoying the last few weeks of summer vacation with a cozy summer fantasy read. This month we are reading The Faraway Inn, by New York Times best selling author Sarah Beth Durst.

Not only is it a beautiful story filled with magic, secrets and love, but is also a lovely sprayed edge edition that is sure to please their bookshelves too.

If you have a teen reader, between the ages of 13-17 years who would like to join our teen bookclub, come pick up a copy and sign up for the club, and you will also receive 15% off our book club selections as a member.

We would love to welcome your reader as we kick off our 3rd year of reading together at .
bookshop

08/16/2026

They’re almost here 🫢 our ✨SPOOKY✨ Jellycat friends will be for sale this coming WEDNESDAY, August 19th, at 10am.

Limit will be 3 Halloween Jellycats per person per day.

As always, at launch time, these are available in store but not online. If you can’t make it in at that time, you can try calling us to reserve one with payment—but please be patient as we have one phone line.

This will be the first wave of release, and as Halloween gets closer, we hope to release more in wave two. 🌊

See you then! 👻

They’re almost here 🫢 our ✨SPOOKY✨ Jellycat friends will be for sale this coming WEDNESDAY, August 19th, at 10am. Limit ...
08/16/2026

They’re almost here 🫢 our ✨SPOOKY✨ Jellycat friends will be for sale this coming WEDNESDAY, August 19th, at 10am.

Limit will be 3 Halloween Jellycats per person per day.

As always, at launch time, these are available in store but not online. If you can’t make it in at that time, you can try calling us to reserve one with payment—but please be patient as we have one phone line.

This will be the first wave of release, and as Halloween gets closer, we hope to release more in wave two. 🌊

See you then! 👻

New in stock! Lots of new Jellycat friends arrived this week. Come in to see what we have, or call to check for your fav...
08/14/2026

New in stock! Lots of new Jellycat friends arrived this week. Come in to see what we have, or call to check for your favourites and reserve over the phone.

Have you ever wondered what happens at our local Coast guard station? Bring your littles to Sunday StoryTime at 11 AM, ...
08/13/2026

Have you ever wondered what happens at our local Coast guard station? Bring your littles to Sunday StoryTime at 11 AM, and join Stacey Trombley of the Canadian Coast Guard when she joins us to share information about her important job on the water, and to read some stories too.

"LIFE IS LIKE RIDING A BICYCLE"—Albert EinsteinVery, very few small Ontario towns have really embraced cycling. Actually...
08/13/2026

"LIFE IS LIKE RIDING A BICYCLE"

—Albert Einstein

Very, very few small Ontario towns have really embraced cycling. Actually, in my travels I haven’t found one yet. Cycling is a way to improve health, reduce car dependency, and fight climate change. Did you know that most car trips are a distance that a cyclist can handle easily? Amherstburg has dabbled with a few bike lanes, but it has not done near as much as it could do. Amherstburg could easily be a cycling leader in Ontario small towns. 🚲🏍️

WHAT MAKES AMHERSTBURG GREAT: COMMUNITY

One of the things that makes Amherstburg great is its connection to CWATS (County Wide Active Transportation System) with its 651km of tails and paths. Already, you can ride a bike from Amherstburg to Holiday Beach on a CWATS paved shoulder. The beautiful greenway trail is only a short ride from downtown. Its trails offer a beautiful, nature-filled ride to McGregor, Harrow, Kingsville, and beyond. Check out the old train track mile markers when you venture out.

The best, most impactful way Amherstburg could make a commitment to cycling is to add PROTECTED bike lanes along Sandwich. Sandwich Street is wide enough to accommodate protected bike lanes going north and south. For cycling to catch on, we have to have safe bike lanes and streets with lower speed limits. Will anyone running for council this fall be progressive enough to champion bike lanes? It sure would help Amherstburg to be one of the very best small towns in Ontario.

This weekend Amherstburg salutes cycling with "Cycle the Burg," hosted by the Windsor Essex Bike Community. Enjoy the Krusher BMX Stunt Show, group rides, and cycle-focused vendors, plus other Open Air goodies.

WHAT MAKES AMHERSTBURG GREAT: WHAT'S NEXT

Next week we talk about an important Amherstburg investment in our health and wellness: The Libro Centre

We have TWO characters coming to River in August! Come enjoy Open Air and meet some beloved characters from storybooks a...
08/08/2026

We have TWO characters coming to River in August! Come enjoy Open Air and meet some beloved characters from storybooks and games.

On Sat. Aug. 15, come meet Mario! He'll be here from 12-1pm and 3:30-4:30pm to meet the whole family, and we're celebrating all things Nintendo.

On Sat. and Sun. Aug 29-30, Clifford the Big Red Dog will be here! We also have lots of Clifford books for you to browse. Scholastic Canada

We hope to see you then!

"The bookshop has a thousand books, all colours, hues and tinges, and every cover is a door that turns on magical hinges...
08/06/2026

"The bookshop has a thousand books, all colours, hues and tinges, and every cover is a door that turns on magical hinges"
—NANCY BYRD TURNER

We opened River Bookshop six years ago today because we believed that all great small towns should have an independent bookstore. We designed it and have operated it to be a "Third Place": inviting, accessible, fun, and active. The day we opened the Bookshop six years ago we gave a speech in front of the shop, quoting the late John Lewis, who said that one should always cause "good trouble." We have lived up to his advice by fighting book banning, and supporting marginalized voices, including Indigenous, Black, and LGBTQ causes, despite some backlash. We have also championed the arts, local authors, fighting climate change, and safe streets. 🪄

And we have done that in a fully restored 1885 heritage building that was recognized by the Architectural Society of Ontario in 2022.

WHAT MAKES AMHERSTBURG GREAT: RIVER BOOKSHOP

When we opened the bookshop, we commissioned David Creed to paint the mural on our east wall, featuring a quote from author Margret Atwood: "A word after a word after a word is power." When we installed that mural, there were probably only 13 art installations in the entire town. Not only did it kick off the creation of Art Alley, but it has caused many other businesses and artists to add to a growing art scene. Today, Amherstburg definitely has an arts reputation with over 60 art installations.

One of the things that we have most been proud of is our focus and energy on getting children to read, from the friendly and colourful design of our shop to our huge collection of children’s books. We also have two children’s book clubs, and our Sunday morning Story Time with celebrity readers is a Sunday magnet for children and their parents. But we clearly know that we have a big job ahead of us to get children reading books. We fully believe that if kids read books they have a better chance of growing up to be better adults.

River Bookshop is definitely an example of What Makes Amherstburg Great. Please join us this weekend when we celebrate our sixth birthday. Details below! 🎉

Next week, What Makes Amherstburg Great is all about cycling. What we have in infrastructure now and what we could add would help make Amherstburg known for active and safe cycling.

—Richard

Address

67 Richmond Street
Amherstburg, ON
N9V1G1

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 8pm
Saturday 10am - 8pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+12269068311

Website

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