Changing of the guard at Michabou bookstore

The change of ownership of Aylmer’s Michabou bookstore was celebrated, June 6, in the bookstore. Twenty-five friends and clients toasted new owner Nolwenn Le Diuzet and congratulated retiring founder-owner Lorraine Dubois for her decades of service to Aylmer’s book-lovers.

Ms Le Diuzet, originally from Brittany, France, has been immersed in books over her lifetime, from her university studies in France on modern French literature to her work at Michabou during her last three years. She has lived in Gatineau for six years and is the mother of two boys, also great readers. Among her plans for the bookstore will be even more emphasis on younger readers, as well as continuing Lorraine Dubois’ well-known involvement in the community. “Michabou is like a family,” Ms Le Diuzet told the Bulletin. “We’re a family within the greater family of Aylmer. I want to extend our social activities – round tables, speakers, whatever will keep Aylmer stimulated and growing as a community.”

Joanne Fallu, Michabou’s first employee, presented a formal thank-you to Ms Dubois and recounted several of the store’s the high points, from its origins at the old Glenwood plaza, before the great fire, and its expansion  to Galeries Aylmer. Ms Fallu stressed the importance of independent bookstores for community growth, mentioning Michabou’s service to the Anglophone and Algonquin populations in Gatineau. “Michabou has become an institution for the people of Aylmer,” concluded Fallu.

As for the retiring Lorraine Dubois, who will be moving to the country with her husband, she managed a “thank-you to you all ...  this is a very emotional moment.”

FR