When Bruce and Pam Stevenson moved to Penticton 44 years ago, they had no idea the monster they'd create.

Their project, a store that would stock pre-owned books, is that monster. Born in 1974 and named, appropriately enough, "The Book Shop," it waits for you today at 242 Main Street in the heart of downtown.

Photo Credit: NowMediaPam and Bruce Stevenson.

Monster? Try 5,000 square-feet of floor space, nearly double that if you include the basement where even more books are stored. Then there's the staff, which currently numbers 13 – an impressive total for any retailer.

But it's the sheer volume that impresses most. Pam Stevenson reckons there's 80,000 books on display at any one time, and at least that many more in storage – under shelves, in the basement, and in an additional storage "warehouse."

And it's not just books. The store also stocks DVDs – 23,000 of them at last count.  

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The legend of The Book Shop isn't just a local thing. It currently sports no less than 242 reviews and a five-star rating at TripAdvisor, where it's also ranked fifth on the list of 102 "things to do in Penticton."

Pam says they came upon it honestly. She was an occupational therapist at Vancouver General Hospital and he was a high school teacher when they moved to the Okanagan.

"When you came to Penticton in 1974, you needed to create your own job,” she says. “Unless you were employed by the government or worked in a motel, there wasn't anything else. So we started this."

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Walking into the store, you're instantly struck by its scope. Every wall, every corner, every inch of available space aisle after aisle is crammed full. Most shelves are stacked, literally, to the ceiling, and even the washrooms aren't safe.

But here's the thing. All of it is organized into categories and subcategories and further subcategories. If you're looking for a particular book, chances are the staff will know exactly where it is.

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"One of the reasons we're big," says Bruce Stevenson, "is that I don't want people to come in and say 'Well, that's that' after five minutes. We have a fabulous staff that knows where everything is."

And he says the selection is always kept fresh – either through customer trade-ins or the Stevenson's ongoing program of bringing in "remainders" (unsold books liquidated by publishers) and promotional books.

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"We've done that almost right from the start. If we have good books, we'll receive good books."

One of the hottest areas of the store, he claims, is the "tweens" section, where Harry Potter-inspired fantasy is the name of the game.

On this day, Colette was busy stocking books in the Tweens section. She began working seasonally at The Book Shop three years ago, moving to full time when she graduated from high school.

Photo Credit: NowMediaCollette has worked at The Book Shop for three years.

A voracious reader and budding writer, Colette loves her job enough that she commutes, with her mom who also works in Penticton, from West Kelowna.

"I like how close-knit everything is, and how it's such a big store for being second hand. I love everything about it. There's such a selection. Some of the books date back to 1850."

Customer after customer sang the praises of The Book Shop.

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Peter Hay of Summerland, a dude who owned two book stores himself in Pasadena, California, before he retired, visits at least once a week.

"There were two conditions in coming back from Los Angeles," said Hay. "A decent bookshop and restaurant in the neighbourhood. So I found this, and Theo's (a popular Greek restaurant just down the street). So I was reassured that life would be possible here."

He laughs, then adds, "This is a family business, and that makes a big difference. Everybody who works here knows every book."

Photo Credit: NowMediaJan Hanna is a regular visitor.

Penticton's Jan Hanna walked out with a whole bag of books. "I've had a variety of interest in books over the years, so this is always the perfect place to come."

He prefers the Book Shop to buying online. "Here you can pick up the book, see the book, feel the book, talk to people, look around and see other stuff."

The Book Shop is open seven days a week. Check out The Book Shop online for more information.