Farewell, Ardea Books and Art

by Stephen Hui on May 9th, 2011 at 1:25 PM

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It was hailed as the successor to Vancouver institution Duthie Books when it opened last year.

But now Kitsilano’s Ardea Books and Art (2025 West 4th Avenue) is set to close its doors by Saturday (May 14).

Ardea’s manager and co-owner, Ria Bleumer, managed Duthie’s for 16 years until its closure in February 2010.

Bleumer opened Sitka Books and Art in September in a former Book Warehouse location down the street from Duthie’s old spot.

In January of this year, the independent bookstore changed its name to Ardea in response to concerns over the fact that a nearby surf-and-skate shop is named Sitka.

Now, Ardea is holding a blowout sale—all stock is 40-percent off—until the end of the week.

The store tweeted on Sunday (May 8): “A word to the wise: When you go to a store that is closing it is not polite to rejoice loudly over the great savings. Just sayin’....”

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