Joie de Livres is a bilingual bookstore and cafe in Montreal’s Mile End neighbourhood.

Shop Talk is an occasional feature in which fledgling independent booksellers take Q&Q into their stores and share their reasons for opening and what business has been like so far. 

Joie de Livres
5163 St-Laurent Blvd.
Montreal, Quebec

Sisters Claire and Sylvie Trottier, both dedicated readers, had long joked that they would love to open a bookstore one day where you could not only shop for a new read but also tuck into a plate of delicious nachos.

They have worked together on various philanthropic and advocacy projects over the years (including with the family foundation), and recently decided that making time and space for joy is just as important as addressing the climate crisis and rising inequality. 

“That work continues to be a big part of our focus, but we came to the realization that celebrating joy and community is just as important as everything else that we do,” Sylvie Trottier recently told Q&Q. “So, we decided to stop just dreaming about it, and actually make it a reality.”

On June 6, Joie de Livres, a bilingual bookstore and café of just under 2,000 square feet in Montreal’s Mile End neighbourhood, opened with a soft launch. Bookstore director Mathieu Lauzon-Dicső (who was co-owner of the now-shuttered Montreal bookstore Librairie Saga Bookstore) and hospitality director Carrie-Ann Kloda both worked with the Trottiers on the business plan for more than a year and head a staff of about 20 “unicorns.” “They work as much on the bookstore side as the café-bar side of things, and have that special magic that allows them to switch gears quickly.”

Trottier recently talked to Q&Q about what the first few months of business have been like.  

Why open Joie de Livres in 2025? What was it about your community that inspired you to open the store? 

Things in the world at large feel pretty scary and upsetting these days. We felt that creating an inviting and joyful physical space where folks could enjoy something to nibble on, partake in a lovely beverage, and discover their next favourite read was something that people were really clamouring for. We had a kiosk at the Salon du livres de Montréal last November, and the feedback we got from folks when they saw our booth, our books, and explained the concept was simply, “Wow! We need a place like this in Montreal.” That really gave us confidence in our vision and what we were building. The response has been incredible!

How has the community/neighbourhood and its readers responded to the store?

People’s eyes really light up when they walk in here, take in the beautiful design and attention to detail, but also when they interact with our amazing staff who are genuinely passionate about books and food and are eager to share their passion with others. The word of mouth is growing quickly – both online and in person – with lots of people coming in from across the city (and sometimes tourists from as far away as Brazil) telling us that they made a special detour to come visit us. It is such a good feeling to look around the space and see friends chatting, people sitting down with a novel and a plate of chips and guac, while others browse and get recommendations on their favourite romance or fantasy or sci-fi or horror novel.

How do you reach potential readers?

We wanted to have a “soft open” to allow ourselves time to work out the kinks and build up our inventory, but we’ve already found ourselves really busy even though we’ve only focused on Instagram and otherwise relied on word of mouth. As we get more established, we will also build out our calendar of events (we have already done a few author events and participated in Romance Bookstore Day and Je lis québécois in August). We also have people that come in for our drinks and food. One of the values that guides us is curiosity, and we love shepherding people that might not be big readers, or big readers in the genres we carry, to look at those books differently, and perhaps pick one up that might be their next favourite read. 

What are your goals for the bookstore? Does the store have any special focus?

We are so happy with the way things have been going. We specialize in romance, fantasy, science fiction, and horror in both French and English. These are genres of books that have huge and dedicated fandoms, made up of voracious readers. They are also books that are so-called guilty pleasures, and aren’t always taken seriously. But it’s part of our mission to “take joy seriously” – these are books that are amazing avenues to explore all sorts of themes and questions that reflect on our world as it is and as it could be. We are very enthusiastic about highlighting books that tell diverse stories, including queer, BIPOC, and other marginalized experiences. Our goal ultimately is to become a local hub for these books and the communities that celebrate them.

What has been most surprising or unexpected about opening a bookstore?

One aspect that has been great is our incredible staff. We were lucky enough to have hundreds of applications and the team we have in place is absolutely amazing. We really wanted to create a work culture that is aligned with our values – joy, curiosity, well-being, integrity, and community. Before opening, along with training sessions on all aspects of our business, we had a full Team Building Day. That may sound a bit corny, but we felt it was so important that the team get to know each other and co-create a supportive work environment. It was time well spent, and the most gratifying thing is to hear all the glowing comments and reviews from customers about our knowledgeable, warm, and welcoming staff.  

This interview has been edited and condensed.