Bringing books and art to Salmo

Trish Bazalgette is excited to serve the Salmo area with Tara Books. — Photo courtesy Trish Bazalgette

After visiting Salmo, B.C., on a holiday, Trish and Charles Bazalgette decided to make the area home. In January of 2014 they opened Tara Books, a business that combines Trish’s 15 years of framing experience with a carefully curated collection of used books.

“The mainstay of the business is the custom picture framing,” said Trish. “I am an art lover and collector, so I take great care to ensure that a frame augments the art without drawing the eye away from the image to the frame itself . . . I'm very comfortable working with paper, canvas and textiles.” 

The framing work doesn’t overshadow the friendly bookstore feel of the business, however. The bright shop has two reading nooks and the coffee pot is always on. Artwork and pictures around the store have been framed on site and are for sale.

“The thing that pleases me most is when customers look at the stock and after a few moments ask where the secondhand books are,” said Trish. “With the exception of a few local titles, which we buy new, all of the stock is secondhand. We stress that books need to be in excellent condition before they go on the shelves. I'm a bibliophile—I love the look and feel of a book as much as its content. A collection of books needs to be warm and inviting.”

Tara Books is at 204 4th Street, directly across from Salmo Foods. The store is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and by appointment for frame orders and collection.