Toronto recommendations

bostontricky · August-9th-2003, 10:43 PM

There is the possibility I may have some free time in downtown Toronto next Friday morning. Anyone with recommendations for good CD shoppes (used or new) or bookstores in or around Toronto?

Jazzooo · August-10th-2003, 12:06 PM

Hi, Boston--I found a good used CD shop in Kensington Market, a neat neihborhood next to Chinatown. MJB lives there, though, and I'm sure he can point you in the right direction.

Nate Dorward · August-10th-2003, 01:40 PM

The best (2ndhand) jazz CD shop in town is Around Again, 18 Baldwin Street, which is near the Art Gallery of Ontario, between College & Dundas. It's two doors from the Yung Sing Pastry Shop, incidentally, the best Chinese bun shop in town.

The bookstore situation has gotten a bit dire with the closing of Writers & Co. The most notable bookstore is probably Pages, which isn't too much of a hike from Around Again. It's 256 Queen St W. It's got good literature stock, art books, a decent music-book section, small-press books, &c.

There's a very good academic-oriented used bookstore (lots of remaindered academic titles, &c) on Harbord St, a couple blocks from Robarts Library, called Atticus. There's countless other decent, more generalist bookstores too--there's a few decent ones on Yonge (I recall Eliot's was good), not to be confused with the ones selling porno mags on the same street.... On Bathurst just below Dupont there's Janet Fetherling's bookshop, Annex Books. It's a good, literary 2ndhand bookshop, with a large stock, though I've never really liked it that much because Janet gets on my nerves & the ambience is hardly cosy.

Well that'll get you started, anyway. There's of course the big music shops on Yonge: HMV & Sam's. Sam's used to be great but after its brush with bankruptcy a few years back it's become a sad shadow of itself; still, it's possible to dig some interesting stock out of the bins there. HMV's jazz section I find terribly bland, & virtually anything interesting gets shoved into a tiny "avant-garde" section that's sequestered from the rest of the stock just after the "XYZ" section--I find it insulting that figures like Steve Lacy & Dave Douglas are thus cordoned off from the "real" jazz.

Dan G · August-10th-2003, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nate Dorward
The best (2ndhand) jazz CD shop in town is Around Again, 18 Baldwin Street, which is near the Art Gallery of Ontario, between College & Dundas. It's two doors from the Yung Sing Pastry Shop, incidentally, the best Chinese bun shop in town.

And if you are there around noon, go to Mata Hari, a great Malaysian restaurant about 1/2 block away.

Quote:

There's a very good academic-oriented used bookstore (lots of remaindered academic titles, &c) on Harbord St, a couple blocks from Robarts Library, called Atticus. There's countless other decent, more generalist bookstores too--there's a few decent ones on Yonge (I recall Eliot's was good),

Atticus has the best selection of Routlege, Cambridge, Oxford, etc titles I've ever seen. And they aren't all remainders, but often overshipments of new stock. I've bought things there that weren't officially released yet at 1/2 price.

And yeah, Eliots may be one of the better used shops in Canada.

Nate - how are the used CD shops on Queen these days? I haven't been in Toronto since moving west in 1999. I usually had OK luck there, and also was a big spender at both Vortex and Backbeat at Yonge and Eglington (though I know that Sam and ? finally gave up and closed Backbeat).

mjb · August-10th-2003, 05:33 PM

Unless I am in some nasty timeloop Backbeat is still going strong and well worth a visit if you have time to get up to mid-town.

Vortex in the same neighbourhood is still very good too.

BMV at Yonge & Eglinton often has some very interesting used jazz & film (and other stuff) at very good prices.

Contact Editions at Eglinton & Mount Pleasant is a wonderful used book store.

Down a bit from there is Harmony - small but good for CDs DVDs & books

My office is near Pages bookstore. It is a good joint.

In the same area is a pretty good used book store called Abelard Books at 519 Queen Street West

At Queen & Spadina have an espresso at Lettieri.

Then Queentessential - 559 1/2 Queen Street West - small but good for books CDs & used vinyl.

Further west is Neurotica at 642 Queen Street West - lotsa CDs and some good jazz - tell them you have their card somewhere & get 10% off.

More used CDs & DVDs to be found on McCaul St. nearby - try Penguin Music and right next door is Second Vinyl.

Then on John St just north of Queen is CD Exchange - they just got a buncha new (but used) jazz CDs in.

That might hold you.

Nate Dorward · August-10th-2003, 08:05 PM

Dan--I don't actually get down to Queen St much as I live at Finch & don't work downtown (my visits to Queen St usually come before going to the occasional concert at the St George the Martyr church)--I recall the used CD shops there were fine, there was one just up a few doors on...I think McCaul, which was quite good, for instance.

I'm glad to hear Backbeat's still going. I used to go there a lot when Writers & Co was still around as it was only a block up Yonge. They had both a sprinkling of new releases & some very good vinyl & 2ndhand CDs. I liked the guy who ran it.

mjb · August-10th-2003, 08:19 PM

Yeah - the Backbeat fellow - whose name quite ecapes me for the moment - has an astonishingly comprehensive musical knowledge - helluva good bloke.

Dan G · August-10th-2003, 09:33 PM

The 2 guys who started Backbeat were Sam and someone whose name I can't remember. Both knew a lot about all kinds of music, but Sam knew more about jazz. Neither liked free jazz, but at least Sam knew enough about it to know what would sell.

It was a great area when within about 1 block on Dundas there was Hal Hill's Jazz and Blues Center, the original Vortex, and Backbeat - if I didn't have time to do anything else in Toronto. Then Vortex split up, and started the 2 stores on Queen and Yonge. Then Hal closed. Eventually Backbeat left the neighbourhood too. I assume it is all being redeveloped into condos now.

I know Sam left Backbeat in early 1999 (my last time in the store, he had sold his share), but I'm glad I'm wrong in thinking it closed.

bostontricky · August-17th-2003, 04:54 PM

Thanks for the recommendations, all. The side trip to Toronto was dashed by the blackout. We'll have to revisit this next summer.

bostontricky · July-30th-2008, 06:07 PM

...and I've got another shot at visiting Toronto next week. Anyone know if any of the above recommendations are still in order?

Bookstores, I'm looking for poetry, and will make the hajj to Talking Leaves in Buffalo. Music, still something to the free side of the spectrum.

Anything that will beat the selection at a reasonably broad place like Borders.