last pics of "World's Biggest Bookstore"

[kram74]

45
well this might be the last pictures
taken at this place. i've been coming
here since i was a kid..... if you never
been inside, this is what it looks like

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endless sea of books.

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if you liked science fiction... this was the
store for you... endless shelfs of science
fiction books.

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escalators... up and down

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You could go up or down to another
section.

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great books on movies and music.
i bought a million music books here over
the years

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if you like yellow floors.... this book store is
for you.... lots of yellow everywhere.

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they must've had every biography ever written
in this store

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Massive amounts of history books.

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A ton of self help books... if you can't
find what brothers you in this section
nothing could help you.... lol

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the ceiling lights remind me of a batman
movie.

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hummm... need some dolls

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Great kid section upstairs

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Teen fiction.... of course most of the teen
books today are clones of Twilight books

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up the stairs

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Quiet now...but on weekends the lines
are crazy long

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I bought one of these from this store, years
ago.

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I always used the ramp....lol... i've never
seen anyone use the stairs.

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need a book on travel?... they have every
country.

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Every magazine in the world is here....

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Games.. games.,...games

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how many book stores have an escalator
leading to another floor.

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Endless comic books of all types...
graphic novels as well

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if you love Manga.... this was your store

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love this section.... they have every
Stephen King novel here.

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if you like romance novels, this store had
them all.

 

[fiendishlibrarian]

Great pics. I too have spent a lot of time and money there over the years, definitely some good finds back in the day. Used to scoot across the street to the Atrium on Bay and compare when the Lichtman's was there.

 

[FNTS]

Thanks for posting these, I'm feeling nostalgic already!

 

[W. K. Lis]

March break will be a busy time there, if there is anything left.

 

[Tewder]

Was it always connected with Chapters/Indigo? I seem to remember it being better years ago… or maybe this is just my imagination??

 

[Hipster Duck]

My favourite part of WBB - even though I never bought them - was that section on the second floor that had those illustrated books of obscure military conflicts. They had illustrations of the soldiers and artillery used in wars such as the Franco-Prussian war, or the Rhodesian Bush War. Any war you could think of. I don't know where else those books exist, or at least where they have such a selection of them.

 

[Koolgreen]

I remember it during my high school days, but there was a coles very close by too....
what year did this place open?

 

[AlbertHWagstaff]

WBB was a part of Coles for as long as I can remember, back to the early 80s. There was a Coles on the south-east corner at Yonge & Dundas in what's now Yonge-Dundas Square, another Coles in the Eaton Centre, and yet another one on Yonge at Charles. Even though they never publicized their connection, WBB also carried a whole section of Coles Notes, which gave it away.

When Coles was bought out by Chapters/Indigo the WBB came with it. I can't think of any Chapters or Indigo store, no matter how large, that seems to come close to the selection of books at the WBB. Yes, you could probably find all of these books on their website, but physically browsing through books and finding just what you were looking for was great, especially when you could compare a couple of different books that were on the same subject. This kind of experience just doesn't happen browsing on line.

Great memories, will have to go there one more time before it closes.

 

[ShonTron]

WBB was a part of Coles for as long as I can remember, back to the early 80s. There was a Coles on the south-east corner at Yonge & Dundas in what's now Yonge-Dundas Square, another Coles in the Eaton Centre, and yet another one on Yonge at Charles. Even though they never publicized their connection, WBB also carried a whole section of Coles Notes, which gave it away.

When Coles was bought out by Chapters/Indigo the WBB came with it. I can't think of any Chapters or Indigo store, no matter how large, that seems to come close to the selection of books at the WBB. Yes, you could probably find all of these books on their website, but physically browsing through books and finding just what you were looking for was great, especially when you could compare a couple of different books that were on the same subject. This kind of experience just doesn't happen browsing on line.

Great memories, will have to go there one more time before it closes.

I'll definitely go one more time, and might even buy something, even though I don't normally like buying from Heather Reisman. The store still looks well-stocked, making it more likely that I will pop in.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Too bad WBB will be going. The Indigo store in the nearby Eaton Centre is smaller, but should take some of the business. However, they should stick to publications, and not the nick-knacks they have on the first floor.

Maybe whatever gets developed in place of the WBB, there will be another bookstore and the Indigo would just shift locations then.

 

[FAC33]

My favourite part of WBB - even though I never bought them - was that section on the second floor that had those illustrated books of obscure military conflicts. They had illustrations of the soldiers and artillery used in wars such as the Franco-Prussian war, or the Rhodesian Bush War. Any war you could think of. I don't know where else those books exist, or at least where they have such a selection of them.

Those are Osprey Men-at-Arms books. About the only place I've seen with as large a selection as they had are stores catering to people who do pewter military miniatures.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

re: Osprey Men at Arms books

I have a few of those - and you can get them on iBooks now as well. The BMV next door (and esp. the one in Annex) also got them.

AoD

 

[Conrad Black]

even though I don't normally like buying from Heather Reisman

Never seen her at the cash when I've been in

 

[J T CUNNINGHAM]

Tell me if I am mistaken, but she complained as if she were a little girl when the real estate deal had been done that

someone had the nerve to displace Her Truly Unique Canadian Store. (Or something similar to that.)


Regards,
J T

 

[Edward]

Has a closing date been announced?