Do you have a furry, feathered or scaly reading buddy? If you do, you’re invited to enter them to become the pet mayor of Greater Sudbury’s newest bookstore.
The Panache bookstore is Sudbury’s only French-language bookstore, and opened at Place des Arts at the end of January.
It sells a wide selection of French literature for people of all ages — from kids to adults — as well as board games and some makers’ items from local artists. The bookstore also regularly hosts fun literacy-based activities for the whole family.
Bookseller Chloé LaDuchesse, a former Greater Sudbury poet laureate, said the store has some “very regular, enthusiastic readers,” but there’s still a lot of people who don’t know the store exists.
She said it’s a needed service, as 25 per cent of Greater Sudbury’s population speaks French, and there’s also many local children who attend French immersion school.
The pet mayor contest is a way to attract attention and raise some funds for the new bookstore.
A besotted cat mom of two herself to Maní and August, LaDuchesse said it’s also an excuse to look at cute photos of other people’s pets. “It’s very selfish,” she said. “I want to see people’s pet photos.”
She said pets make great reading buddies.
“I think it's just a no-brainer,” LaDuchesse said. “It's kind of a quiet companion and you can talk out loud and bounce ideas … They just enjoy that quiet moment of reading.”
If you’d like to enter your pet into the contest, fill out the application form online here (answers do not need to be in French).
As this is a fundraising campaign, a fee of $25 is required per animal. You can submit the application for several animals, as long as the fees are paid for each one. The application deadline is May 17 at 11:55 p.m.
Panache bookstore will then share all the applications and photos online and in store. A popular vote will crown our official representative for the next year.
The identity of the pet mayor will be revealed in June, and their regal portrait will be proudly displayed in the bookstore, and even on promotional items.
They represent the bookstore in its online communications and, if possible and safe for the animal and the public, in person at official events.
Their family would regularly have to send the bookstore updates on their daily life: favourite readings, seasonal activities, ect. to share on the bookstore’s social media.
“They have to embody the joy of reading,” said LaDuchesse. “So we expect from them some nicely staged photos with books, or other activities. We want them to be positive and to influence people into being curious about books. But mostly they will be the incarnation of joy.”
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s assistant editor. She also covers education and the arts scene.
