The best Canadian bookstores
16 Canadian bookstores you need to visit right now
From East to West
1. BOOKMARK (Charlottetown and Halifax)
Bookmark opened in Charlottetown in 1972 and added a Halifax location in 1989. With close ties to the writing community in Atlantic Canada, Bookmark is the place to go for books and book advice.
2. WOOZLES (Halifax)
Open since 1978, Woozles is the oldest children's bookstore in Canada, "a place for and about children." With this vision statement as a guide, Woozles has served as a valuable community resource for children's literacy and well-being for over three decades.
3. OWL'S NEST (Fredericton)
If you like overstocked shelves, good prices for used books and plenty of choice, the Owl's Nest is for you. You never know what you might find. Just look at all those discoveries waiting to happen! (Salivating.)
4. LIBRAIRIE PANTOUTE (Quebec City)
This French-language bookstore has been in business for over 40 years. Known for its Quebecois literature, comic books, mystery novels, science fiction, young adult books and specialized topics and genres such as architecture, poetry, science, theatre and political science, Pantoute houses more than 50,000 titles in its two Quebec City locations.
5. DRAWN and QUARTERLY (Montreal)
"D & Q" has grown from a single-issue magazine to an internationally renowned publisher of the world's best cartoonists and graphic novels. The company operates a storefront named Librairie D+Q in the Mile End neighbourhood of Montreal, the same neighbourhood where the company was founded in 1989.
6. THE WORD BOOKSTORE (Montreal)
Located close to McGill University, The Word is an independent secondhand bookstore with a focus on literature, philosophy and poetry. Check out their selection of Canadian literary magazines, independent books sold on consignment and student-produced zines. Cheapie alert: They even have a one-dollar shelf and a fifty-cent pile that get replenished daily.
7. BLACK SQUIRREL BOOKS (Ottawa)
Ottawa's newest bookstore will buy and sell (or trade!). They double as a café and also host community events.
8. TYPE BOOKS (Toronto)
Type is an independent community bookstore with two Toronto locations. They have an extensive selection of contemporary fiction, small press, art, design and children's titles. They frequently host events and launches for local authors and run a popular storytime program for preschoolers.
9. BEN MCNALLY BOOKS (Toronto)
Opened fairly recently in 2007, Ben McNally has quickly become one of the city's best independent bookstores. The store, which takes its owner's name, is in the middle of Toronto's financial district: a curious location for an independent, but a welcome refuge for office workers looking for their next read. (There is no affiliation with McNally Robinson Booksellers.)
10. BISON BOOKS (Winnipeg)
Located among the city's notable landmarks, Bison Books boasts 20,000 used and out-of-print books as well a number of new reads. They're a great spot to hunt out valuable books, whether you're looking for rare and antiquarian titles or a signed first edition.
11. MCNALLY ROBINSON BOOKSELLERS (Winnipeg and Saskatoon)
McNally Robinson is the largest independent bookseller in Canada, founded in Winnipeg. Home to frequent readings and signings, they also sponsor three literary awards. The Winnipeg and Saskatoon stores are over 2,000 square metres in size and house Prairie Ink Restaurant and Bakery, in case all that book-hunting makes you peckish.
12. WEE BOOK INN (Edmonton)
Open for over 45 years, this community institution and gathering place is as famous for its cats (Saku, Fleur and Fergie) as it is for its used book selection. They currently have three locations in Edmonton that buy/sell/trade books. Which cat is the Ayn Rand enthusiast and which has the Lovecraft fixation? You'll have to go and find out.
13. MUNRO'S BOOKS (Victoria)
This magnificent bookstore (note the 24-foot Roman-style coffered ceilings!) is possibly the grandest in the country. And if you're wondering if the name has anything at all to do with Alice, you're on to something. Alice Munro and her husband, Jim, opened the first iteration of the bookshop in 1963, although it was much smaller then and offered mostly paperbacks. The shop relocated to larger sites in 1979 and 1984.
14. MACLEOD'S BOOKS (Vancouver)
Although it may be limited in square footage, this bookstore has a very large (if somewhat disorganized) inventory, as you can tell from the photo. On online reviewer describes it as "messy but nice," also advising you not to stay long if you have allergies. And yet, this home for books ranks fifth out of 65 places to shop in Vancouver.
15. THE BOOK MAN (Chilliwack & Abbotsford)
Open 364 days a year and the recipient of numerous retail awards, The Book Man has merged retail excellence with cat excellence, thanks to the friendly and purry services of Nietzsche and Gatsby. Between the two stores, The Book Man has over 250,000 titles in stock, 5,000 square feet of store space and three Facebook pages (two of which are for the cats).
16. MAC'S FIREWEED BOOKS (Whitehorse)
Boasting "the best magazine rack north of 60," Mac's Fireweed Books is your one-stop shop for every resource you may need about the Yukon. Known for their extensive collection of books written by Yukon authors and about the Yukon, they also have a complete selection of Yukon maps and travel guides.
From: CBC.ca
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