The wonderful world of independent Montreal bookstores
(Inside The Word Bookstore.) Curl up with a good book from one of these local gems! Photo Ibrahim Mahmoud
Curl up with a good book from one of these local gems
It's that time of the pandemic again! A new strain of COVID-19 has appeared which has led to a reinvigorated effort to social distance and the closing of Concordia's campus. Classes are back online until at least February, stores are doing curbside pickup, and by now you might have successfully binged any new material Netflix has released over the past couple months. Thankfully, there’s a trick to escaping the draw of doom scrolling through social media feeds: reading books.
Across Montreal, there are four major independent English language bookstores that are staples of their respective communities: The Word Bookstore, Argo Bookshop, Encore Books and Records, and Saint-Henri Books.
The Word Bookstore
“We were really involved in the English language poetry community, quite small at that point. You could fit them all in one room.” — Adrian King-Edwards
The Word Bookstore fits well into a romanticized vision of a student's university experience. It's in a little brick building on Milton St. overflowing with second-hand books. It has so much inventory that the owner has a collection of books outside going for $1 each. While you might come for those, you’ll stay for the dark academia vibe and the expertise of the owners.
Adrian King-Edwards, the owner and founder of the store, hopes to stay there forever. “I’m gauging when [I’ll retire] by how much I am enjoying myself,” said King-Edwards. “I am [enjoying myself], so why would I ever retire?”
The Word Bookstore has supported Montreal’s English poets since the store’s inception in 1976. “We became friends with the local poets, we had readings once a week in our living room,” said King-Edwards, who began running his store out of his apartment 46 years ago. “We were really involved in the English language poetry community, quite small at that point. You could fit them all in one room.”
Along with his store on Milton St., King-Edwards can be found at the Montreal Antiquarian Book Fair. The book fair, held at Concordia, specializes in collectible books, and is, as King-Edwards described it, perfect for bookworm literature majors who want a signed Charles Dickens novel or a first edition Kurt Vonnegut. King-Edwards said he could not be more thankful to Concordia, as this is one of his favourite events of the year which happens on the last weekend of September in the J.W. McConnell Pavilion atrium.
Argo Bookshop
“We really are here to serve the reading and writing community of the city, that’s what guides us.” — Moti Lieberman
Argo Bookshop is Montreal’s oldest English-language independent bookshop, running since 1966. They’ve recently relocated to a new location on Ste. Catherine St. W., a short walk from Concordia’s Sir George Williams campus. Argo’s inventory is themed around local authors, queer authors, and Japanese literature. These themes are close to the owners’ hearts, since they are both queer and have lived in Japan. The shop also runs book clubs that focus on trans/non-binary authors, Japanese authors, and local authors. Over the pandemic, however, the store has expanded to literature from beyond Montreal.
Presumably, you’re choosing to work here because you're really interested in books, [and you] have stuff you're really interested in talking about,” said Moti Lieberman regarding his employee’s recommendations. Beyond their favourites, the Argo owners work really hard to curate their selection to reflect the community’s desires.
Over the pandemic, Argo has begun stocking more horror, mystery, and romance literature in accordance with the feedback they’ve been getting from customers. Lieberman even highlighted their witchcraft section; a topic that’s been trending during the pandemic.
Community is what drives Argo, and despite their new move, Lieberman wants to assure Montrealers:
“We really are here to serve the reading and writing community of the city, that's what guides us.”
Encore Books and Records
“We try to make the shop like a big maze, where you can go get lost. That’s kind of the Encore experience.” — Sean Madden
Encore Books and Records is another Montreal staple. Encore’s claim to fame is the energy it offers.
“We try to make the shop like a big maze, where you can go get lost. That's kind of the Encore experience,” said Sean Madden, the owner. “Part of the fun of it is not finding ideas in front of a screen; [it’s] finding the ideas from the physical things.”
The simple joy of finding your own ideas in things speaks to the child in us all, and it is likely the reason why many people go to indie bookstores. Although online stores might have the best deals and one-day delivery services, there’s a unique sense of reward in finding something by yourself in a bookstore.
Saint-Henri Books
“What do young people want to read right now?” — Alex Nierenhausen
Saint-Henri Books, a little gem off of Notre-Dame St. W. on Rue Thérien, is the definition of curated, where everything has been arranged in a particular order to create a consistent atmosphere. Inside, you’ll find books, but you’ll also find all sorts of fun trinkets and accessories.
“My client base is not grandmas or boomers,” said Alex Nierenhausen, the director of the store. As such, the shop stocks according to TikTok trends and modern aesthetics that are growing in popularity.
Saint-Henri’s inventory ranges from books on sexual kinks, to feminist issues, to challenges faced by People of Colour, to books about the stoner lifestyle, and much more. Saint-Henri’s inventory answers a question that Nierenhausen often asks himself: “What do young people want to read right now?”
Montreal’s independent English bookstores are all different and unique, but they all have one similarity: they want to serve you, their community. Each of these stores can scratch a different itch and each is its own adventure.
