Richard Peddie, the former president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment from 1998 through 2011, has announced he will open a new bookstore in Amherstburg, Ontario, this summer. Located 30 km south of Windsor, River Bookshop will stock 6,000 titles when it opens, with a focus on serving as a community hub. “I’m investing in the community, and if that costs me a little bit of money, that’s fine,” Peddie said in an interview with CBC’s Windsor Morning radio program.

Lori Wightman, resource assistant at Carnegie library for 16 years, was announced as lead bookseller on Feb. 24. “It combines all my favourite things – getting books, reading books, and recommending books,” Wightman said, according to a letter from Peddie announcing her appointment.

We are excited to announce that Lori Wightman (@bookgirl1209 ) will be the Lead Bookseller at the new River Bookshop! pic.twitter.com/ir2hH8WX5e

— River Bookshop (@river_bookshop) February 21, 2020

River Bookshop will be housed in a restored 1885 shopfront with a Victorian interior, plenty of seating, and a cozy fireplace. Peddie told CBC that he has met with publishers, including Penguin Random House and HarperCollins, and purchased a third of the stock for the store.

Peddie was named president and CEO of the Toronto Raptors in 1996 before assuming leadership of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in 1998. He retired in 2011.