Welcome to The Laughing Oyster Bookshop
For 50 years, Laughing Oyster Bookshop has been a steady and joyful part of Courtenay, BC’s reading community. It is a place where stories, neighbours, and generations meet, and where the simple act of browsing a shelf becomes an invitation to slow down and connect. As we continue our series celebrating independent bookstores, it feels especially meaningful to highlight a shop that has not only endured but flourished through five decades of change. Laughing Oyster demonstrates how strong local culture can be when a community supports the places that sustain it.
Founded in 1974 on the unceded lands of the K’ómoks First Nation, Laughing Oyster has long been an essential part of Courtenay’s main street. Over the years, the store has moved four times while maintaining the warm atmosphere that locals cherish. Since becoming owner, Evelyn Gillespie has carried forward the values that shaped the shop from the beginning. Her approach centres on care for books, for the people who read them, and for the broader community that makes the store possible. Under her leadership, Laughing Oyster has remained a place where readers feel welcomed, recognized, and encouraged to explore new ideas.
Stepping inside the bookstore offers an immediate sense of intention. Cork floors add warmth and softness, and live-edge end caps give the space a natural West Coast feel. Displays are refreshed often, which means regular visitors still find something new each time they come in. The selection is wide and thoughtfully curated. Literary fiction sits alongside children’s books, local authors, social justice titles, works on sustainability, and many books that invite readers into deeper conversations about the world around them. It is easy to stop by for one book and leave with several simply because the space rewards curiosity.
What truly sets Laughing Oyster apart is its relationship with the people of Courtenay. Evelyn describes this connection with clarity and affection. “I love that we have the opportunity to know individuals and families, to accompany and support them through all phases of their life,” she explains in an interview with CIBA books. “We celebrate births and deaths, birthdays, and graduations. We build deep and lasting friendships with our customers and with each other, bonding over ideas and enthusiasms.” This is what community looks like when it is nurtured over decades.
Readers grow up, return with children of their own, and continue the cycle of discovery and connection. The bookstore has marked countless milestones alongside its customers, becoming intertwined with their stories as much as they are with the books they read.
New Society Publishers Julie [left] and EJ [right] pose withTrina Barclay [middle] outside the bookshop.
There is also a larger cultural significance to what Laughing Oyster represents. Independent bookstores face many pressures, yet this shop has remained vibrant. Its success reflects a community that values independent businesses and understands the importance of local resilience. Evelyn often speaks about how grateful she is to live in a region that supports its small enterprises. That reciprocal relationship between business and community is central to why the store continues to thrive. It is a reminder that strong cultural spaces do not survive by accident. They are upheld by shared commitment and collective care.
This sense of mutual support aligns closely with New Society Publishers’ mission. Our work is guided by the belief that healthy communities grow out of connection, responsibility, and engaged citizenship. Bookstores like Laughing Oyster are natural partners in this vision. They offer spaces where conversations about justice, sustainability, and community care can take shape. Many New Society titles resonate with the types of discussions happening among the store’s readers, including books that explore how communities respond to life’s most profound transitions.
It is no surprise that Read Local BC has described Laughing Oyster as a “gathering place for the community.” The phrase captures not only the store’s physical presence but also its role as a space where people can reflect, exchange ideas, or simply enjoy the company of others. At a time when many interactions take place online or in hurried moments, this bookstore offers a rare place to slow down, ask questions, and rediscover the pleasure of finding a book by chance.
For those eager to visit, Laughing Oyster Bookshop is located at 286 Fifth Street in Courtenay, BC. Their website, laughingoysterbooks.com, offers a look at current titles, staff picks, and community events. They also share updates on Instagram and Facebook, giving readers an easy way to stay connected.
If you find yourself in Courtenay, consider stopping in. Spend a little time wandering the aisles or talking with staff, (as New Society’s Julie and EJ did this past Fall.) You might leave with a book that shifts your thinking or opens a door you did not know was there. More importantly, you will experience firsthand the spirit that has made Laughing Oyster a beloved part of its community for half a century.
