The lecture Choosing the Happy City is tomorrow and I continue to interview interesting people in our region about what the ‘happy city’ means to them.

Today, I spoke with Chris Brayshaw, an independent bookseller. Chris started Pulpfiction Books on Main Street in Vancouver in 2000 and later added two more stores, one on Broadway Street and one on Commercial Drive.  His stores offer a combination of used and new books to ensure there is something for everyone’s taste.

What city in the Lower Mainland do you live in?

Vancouver.

What makes you happy about where you live?

The number of smallish, owner-operated businesses around.  The non-corporate quality of the streetscape, which is perfectly scaled to walking, and not to travel by car.

How do you usually travel around your neighbourhood?

By foot or trolleybus.

What’s your favourite thing about how you get around your neighbourhood?

Green parks seamlessly integrated into the grid of the neighborhood, perfect for cutting through.

How do you usually travel around your city?

By foot or trolleybus. Less often by Skytrain. I like transit lines with three to five minute service.

What do you like most about your work?

I opened Pulpfiction Books, Vancouver’s largest independent new & used bookstore, in June 2000. It’s still the best poorly-paying job I’ve ever had.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Don’t forget, there’s still time to enter the Happy City contest to win some great prizes.  Apart from the Buzzer, this contest is run by the Vancity Buzz, The Thirties Grind and Surrey604.  The lecture Choosing Happy City is sold out but you can watch it live via webcast; simply click on the webcast link here at 7 p.m. on March 26.

Author: Borjana Slipicevic