Bringing the Human Element Back Into Book Shopping

A book pharmacist’s prescription for literary souls

WORDS BY LINDSAY BROMMELAND

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Brandi Morpurgo is a reader whose store is an antidote to the impersonal online book shopping process. Instead of picking books off a website’s New Releases or Bestseller’s list, at Daisy Chain Book Co., you are greeted by a fellow book lover who is just as interested in what you’re reading as making recommendations to add to your list. Morpurgo’s vision was to create a community of readers, and readers have responded with enthusiasm. Daisy Chain Book Co.’s three book clubs filled up almost immediately (there is a waiting list for when they can resume post-Covid).

Daisy Chain Book Co. started as a mobile book store — you may have seen the food truck turned library around town or at the 124 St market. Though now a brick and mortar location on High Street, Morpurgo still offers free delivery within Edmonton and tries to get your books to you as soon as possible. It’s a used book store combined with an online delivery service (about 70% of Daisy Chain’s inventory is used).

Morpurgo calls herself a “Book Pharmacist” — she enjoys recommending literary medicine for her customers. Just as you never stand in the same river twice, books have something new to offer every time you read them. Whether you prefer an old favorite or a new recommendation, the folks at Daisy Chain Book Co. are happy to chat. www.daisychainbook.co