The more things change, the more they stay the same. The former Parsons Pharmacy building in downtown Canby has a new owner, several new tenants and a very different layout — but its original side storefront and double door entrance on North Grant Street are being restored.
Daniel Godfrey, founder and president of Caldera International (the manufacturer of hot and cold therapy wraps and other products that purchased the building in 2019) said the new double doors will serve as the main entrance into The Book Nook, which will be the space’s first tenant.
They will be located exactly where the Grant Street entrance once stood before it was closed off by a previous owner. A new window on Grant Street has also been added, evoking Parsons’ original storefront.
“It’s basically just putting back the doors that were once there, along with the retail storefront,” Godfrey told The Canby Current.
The only existing entrance to that space, located on North Second Avenue, will remain, though it will be used primarily as an emergency exit or a secondary access for events, Godfrey said.
“We’ve been working on this space for several months,” Godfrey said. “We are in the final stages of the build-out and hope to have The Book Nook moved in around the first week of February.”
For more information about The Book Nook, or to support their move, find their campaign at gofundme.com.
The Book Nook will complete the transformation of the former Parsons building, which was acquired by Caldera in August 2019.
Since then, it has undergone significant interior remodeling, carving out space not just for Caldera’s operations but also for two commercial tenants.
The second space — accessed by what was Parsons’ main entrance prior to its closure — was filled by a local Edward Jones financial advisor in September 2020.
Godfrey said he had originally sought food and beverage uses for the two tenant spaces to complement the downtown market, but “Covid eliminated that opportunity.”
“The Book Nook and Edward Jones were both located downtown and, ironically, they were literally just across the street from us,” he said. “Both were looking for new space, so the timing was good for everyone.”
Photos by The Canby Current and The Book Nook:
