Iconic T.O. Bookstore Closes

Since 1979, Pages bookstore in Toronto has been a symbolic business on Queen Street West, one of the city’s most popular areas for younger people. It was known for its unique window displays as well as its wide selection of obscure and hard to find books. Now, it seems the store has reached its final chapter. The store is set to close down today, due to the fact that the store’s owner can no longer afford the rising cost of rent. What was once a street filed with independent shops and local artisans has now been replaced with larger corporate retailers such as Nike, Adidas, Urban Planet, HMV and Starbucks. Also, the CTV building which houses CP24 (Toronto’s local 24 hour news channel) and Muchmusic is just across the corner. As a result, property values have gone up to the point where this independent store can no longer stay put.

I had a chance to visit the store a few weeks ago and get interviews with both the management of the store as well as customers both new and old. The general sense among people was sad acceptance. Many were upset about the store’s inevitable departure from its location but understood the reasons behind it. I decided to edit and release the video today since it is officially the store’s final day.