ABOUT US
Poor Michael’s Bookshop opened its doors in Onanole in the summer of 1992 by founding owner Michael Holm (1963-1996). In 1996, Murray Evans and Lei Anne Sharratt, the current owners, bought the original building and renovated it, adding a cappuccino bar and art/gift shop in 2001. In 2007, a post and beam addition was locally built by McArthur Woodworks, using locally sourced hand milled spruce logs, providing a beautiful space for the cafe and gift shop. In 2008 we added a brick patio in the back, a perfect place for a coffee and a snack...also where we hold our very popular music concerts.
In the spring of 2012, Brad Hall Construction helped us with the addition of a beauitful Mezzanine, keeping the open feeling of the high ceiling of the post & beam. This gave us extra floor space for more cafe tables and art display areas.
The original rustic Onanole land mark (original building) was built in the 1930s and became the first general store for the area. Folklore tales from these early days, told by a local historian, include visits by Grey Owl who supposedly visited the general store to purchase his bootleg booze at the back door. Fact or fiction?
