New fantasy bookstore Fables & Pages opening in the Glebe this fall

Casey Thorhauge spent nearly two years imagining what she'd do if she won the lottery. "I would open a bookstore and just be happy," she said.

Fables & Pages, the fantasy bookstore she and cofounder Courtney Griffith hope to open in Ottawa by early October, is about to make that dream real. Thorhauge, who works as a wedding photographer on weekends, was inspired by Evermore Books, a romance-focused bookstore that opened in the Glebe. "I thought if she can do this on her own, I probably could, too," Thorhauge said.

The two grew up together in Barrhaven, swapping paperbacks as teenagers. A January layoff from her tech job—her third in five years—pushed Thorhauge to build something of her own. When Griffith heard the bookstore idea, she was all in. "I was in 110 per cent. I said, 'Tell me what you need me to do and we'll make it happen.'" Griffith now helps manage the shop when Thorhauge is on location for photo shoots.

Canadian readers have already made a strong commercial case for the venture. Fantasy titles accounted for about 13 per cent of national fiction sales in 2025, an eight-per-cent increase over the previous year, according to BookNet Canada. Griffith said fantasy readers connect deeply with the genre's approach to complex themes: "You have to live inside someone else's head for anywhere between 300 and 1,200 pages. Fantasy readers are very in touch with their empathy."

The pair has toured nine storefronts in central Ottawa, including the former Westboro Books space on Richmond Road, concentrating on walkable neighbourhoods where a bookstore can serve regular local customers. Ottawa's independent bookselling community has welcomed them warmly—Stephen Crocker and Cole Davidson of The Spaniel's Tale reviewed their business plan, and Evermore owner Amanda Holmes shared lessons from her opening.

Fables & Pages will stock new fantasy books exclusively. "Community over competition is our mindset," Thorhauge said. When a requested title is unavailable, they plan to direct customers to other independent sellers in town. The bookstore joins Ottawa's growing wave of specialized niche retailers, dedicating every inch of shelf space to fantasy—from T. Kingfisher's horror to V.E. Schwab's standalone novels.