A new bookstore opening this weekend in Toronto is bringing the written word into the bar. 

Book Bar, which opens on June 27 in Toronto’s recently opened Mirvish Village development, is a 2,600-square foot space in a renovated heritage house on Markham Street. The new enterprise marks the return of bookselling to a street that over several decades housed three independent specialty bookstores, until the street was closed in February 2017 as part of the redevelopment of former retail landmark Honest Ed’s. The main floor features a main bar, several seating areas, and bookshelf-lined walls, while the second floor, divided into two spaces, features more books, seating areas, and a satellite bar that will be used for events. 

Book Bar owners Robin Storfer and Tom Freeman, who have been friends for decades, had long talked about working together. Their initial plan had been to open a bar, but once COVID hit, that didn’t seem quite right. But when they landed on a bar that was also a bookstore, something clicked into place.

“I think that what we were ultimately trying to do, especially coming off the heels of COVID, was looking at a way that we could bring community to the city,” Storfer says. “It’s in everything that we’re doing: how do we create a space, how do we create an environment, how do we create a welcoming, warm, creative, fun, informational, educational experience that also can foster conversation and offer events that are interesting and bring people together. That’s the crux of what Book Bar is all about.”

Sarah Labrie, who worked extensively in publishing, most recently as marketing director at Kids Can Press, is Book Bar’s operations manager. Danny Roberts, who has extensive experience in hospitality but worked most recently as a bookseller at Toronto indie Book City, is the assistant operations manager. When hiring the rest of the 15-person team, experience in books and hospitality were valued equally, with differences in reading preferences between staff members preferred.

“Whenever you come here, you’re going to be able to talk with someone who’s going to be able to talk about books and carry on that conversation,” Roberts says. 

The book selection is general interest and includes a second-floor children’s section. Labrie says the selection of staff picks on display by the cash will rotate daily, depending on who is working that day. The store, which has been receiving deliveries of books all week in preparation for this weekend’s official opening, will stock 8,000 titles, she says.

The event calendar so far promises a mix of social and literary: the first event, on July 6, is a singles night hosted by the group Bored of Dating Apps. On July 7, Toronto authors Kevin Hardcastle and Lynn Hutchinson Lee will appear in conversation discussing their latest novels, County Road Six and Nightshade. 

Book Bar will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, with extended hours until 1 a.m. from Thursday to Saturday.