Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Toronto Trip Summary
Here is my latest trip report from a week in March spent in Toronto and Ontario.
All stores are listed in the order I saw them.
Ballenford Books on Architecture
See pictures of Store
Ballenford is located up a few steps in a building shared with a local architects' organization. Inside the front door is a striking green room with a small table filled with flowers, not books. Turning the corner you see the length of the building lined with bookcases, artwork, and architecture models on display. In the front room is the cash register where Susan sits and manages the store. In the second room is a giant yellow umbrella with a table and chairs for browsing. The back room has a big display table with books stacked. I found a number of great hard-to-find titles relating to green design and modern architecture.
David Mirvish Books/Books on Art
See Pictures of Store
Wow. This is a must-see store if you're in Toronto and like art books. There's a HUGE Frank Stella original on the back wall. The displays are well-merchandised to face-out important books. The tables and fixtures are arranged to encourage meandering from section to section. The space has a mezzanine and hidden lower areas (leftover I imagine from its former life as an art gallery). These areas house the fiction, bargain books, and other sections. Next time I visit I'll spend more time checking out their rare books display case. Great, great store.
Here's background on the Mirvish family and their commitment to Toronto preservation. According to one shop owner on this street, Ed Mirvish bought all the property on the block and keeps the rents low so businesses can survive and add character to the neighborhood. Wonderful to see.
The Beguiling
Comic store across the street from Ballenford and David Mirvish. It has an impressive selection of artists and range between youth-oriented manga and more adult Frank Miller-esque titles.
Book City (no website found)
Citywide chain of bookshops. Reminded me of high-volume NYC stores with lots and lots of books on shelves and stacks on display tables. Upstairs area of the Bloor St store has a nice sitting areas for further browsing.
Pages Books and Magazines
See Pictures of Store
Fun art and design store in the middle of the busy Queen Street East district. I could spend some time here checking out their unusual and hard to find titles. Check out the pics, they do some great store layout signage.
Another Man's Poison (no website found)
Notable architecture and design shop next to the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD). The owner has been in the business for a long time. And it's across the street from this crazy building.
Steven Bulger Gallery
Photography gallery near the trendy Drake Hotel at the far end of Queen St East. Great exhibit space, impressive photo bookshelves.
Art Gallery of Ontario
Massive Change Exhibit pics
The AGO is undergoing a colossal renovation that breaks ground soon. I dropped in to see Bruce Mau's Massive Change exhibit that opened the previous weekend. It's only the second stop on a projected 7-year run for the exhibit. I took a few pictures to give an idea, but really it's better to check out the website (Massive Change) and read the book (this isn't just a Phaidon plug, I honestly believe this is an important book that deserves a huge audience).
Swipe
See Pictures of Store
Books on advertising and design. Amazing little bookstore filled with the best, most creative books I think available. I enjoyed watching how their team of three bookseller jointly went through the catalogue and gave input on titles and quantities.
U of Toronto Bookstore
See Pictures of Store
A university bookstore in a magnificent building filled with marble columns and arches. The buyer here has a fun Monty Python sense of humour. I enjoyed walking up and down the aisles, running my fingers across the spines in the fiction section, and settling down to read a few pages of Ballad of the Whiskey Robber (highly recommended by Robert Gray of Northshire Bookstore).
The Bookshelf of Guelph
See Pictures of Store
A good friend of mine calls this the best bookstore in Canada. Part books, part cafe, part movie theater. Can it get any better? How about a rooftop terrace? Check it out. This is a general independent store I'm going to keep a close eye on for new bookselling ideas.
Univ of Western Ontario Bookstore
See Pictures of Store
Recently redesigned layout has a circular middle area for books. College sweatshirts are left on the side on a small landing (where they belong). I love any bookstore that carries Nicholas Basbanes books.
I finished out the week with a night in Detroit. Then I drove to Grand Rapids to spend more time at the Underground Studio before driving back towards Chicago for a weekend getaway. I had to go to New York the next week for a meeting, so by the end I was away from Madison for 2 1/2 weeks. Oh well, it was the only time I had to do that this season.
Next trip report: Iowa. (Home of the Iowa Writers Workshop, two of the most energetic booksellers I know, a huge frickin' windmill, and yes, corn-but not as much as you may think. Stay tuned.)
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All stores are listed in the order I saw them.
Ballenford Books on Architecture
See pictures of Store
Ballenford is located up a few steps in a building shared with a local architects' organization. Inside the front door is a striking green room with a small table filled with flowers, not books. Turning the corner you see the length of the building lined with bookcases, artwork, and architecture models on display. In the front room is the cash register where Susan sits and manages the store. In the second room is a giant yellow umbrella with a table and chairs for browsing. The back room has a big display table with books stacked. I found a number of great hard-to-find titles relating to green design and modern architecture.
David Mirvish Books/Books on Art
See Pictures of Store
Wow. This is a must-see store if you're in Toronto and like art books. There's a HUGE Frank Stella original on the back wall. The displays are well-merchandised to face-out important books. The tables and fixtures are arranged to encourage meandering from section to section. The space has a mezzanine and hidden lower areas (leftover I imagine from its former life as an art gallery). These areas house the fiction, bargain books, and other sections. Next time I visit I'll spend more time checking out their rare books display case. Great, great store.
Here's background on the Mirvish family and their commitment to Toronto preservation. According to one shop owner on this street, Ed Mirvish bought all the property on the block and keeps the rents low so businesses can survive and add character to the neighborhood. Wonderful to see.
The Beguiling
Comic store across the street from Ballenford and David Mirvish. It has an impressive selection of artists and range between youth-oriented manga and more adult Frank Miller-esque titles.
Book City (no website found)
Citywide chain of bookshops. Reminded me of high-volume NYC stores with lots and lots of books on shelves and stacks on display tables. Upstairs area of the Bloor St store has a nice sitting areas for further browsing.
Pages Books and Magazines
See Pictures of Store
Fun art and design store in the middle of the busy Queen Street East district. I could spend some time here checking out their unusual and hard to find titles. Check out the pics, they do some great store layout signage.
Another Man's Poison (no website found)
Notable architecture and design shop next to the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD). The owner has been in the business for a long time. And it's across the street from this crazy building.
Steven Bulger Gallery
Photography gallery near the trendy Drake Hotel at the far end of Queen St East. Great exhibit space, impressive photo bookshelves.
Art Gallery of Ontario
Massive Change Exhibit pics
The AGO is undergoing a colossal renovation that breaks ground soon. I dropped in to see Bruce Mau's Massive Change exhibit that opened the previous weekend. It's only the second stop on a projected 7-year run for the exhibit. I took a few pictures to give an idea, but really it's better to check out the website (Massive Change) and read the book (this isn't just a Phaidon plug, I honestly believe this is an important book that deserves a huge audience).
Swipe
See Pictures of Store
Books on advertising and design. Amazing little bookstore filled with the best, most creative books I think available. I enjoyed watching how their team of three bookseller jointly went through the catalogue and gave input on titles and quantities.
U of Toronto Bookstore
See Pictures of Store
A university bookstore in a magnificent building filled with marble columns and arches. The buyer here has a fun Monty Python sense of humour. I enjoyed walking up and down the aisles, running my fingers across the spines in the fiction section, and settling down to read a few pages of Ballad of the Whiskey Robber (highly recommended by Robert Gray of Northshire Bookstore).
The Bookshelf of Guelph
See Pictures of Store
A good friend of mine calls this the best bookstore in Canada. Part books, part cafe, part movie theater. Can it get any better? How about a rooftop terrace? Check it out. This is a general independent store I'm going to keep a close eye on for new bookselling ideas.
Univ of Western Ontario Bookstore
See Pictures of Store
Recently redesigned layout has a circular middle area for books. College sweatshirts are left on the side on a small landing (where they belong). I love any bookstore that carries Nicholas Basbanes books.
I finished out the week with a night in Detroit. Then I drove to Grand Rapids to spend more time at the Underground Studio before driving back towards Chicago for a weekend getaway. I had to go to New York the next week for a meeting, so by the end I was away from Madison for 2 1/2 weeks. Oh well, it was the only time I had to do that this season.
Next trip report: Iowa. (Home of the Iowa Writers Workshop, two of the most energetic booksellers I know, a huge frickin' windmill, and yes, corn-but not as much as you may think. Stay tuned.)
